


Rules were Made to be Broken

by Valethra



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Certain sensitive topics will be warned about in author's note to avoid spoilers, Daiya is Alive!, Eventual Smut, IT Tech Guy Kiyotaka, M/M, The Ishimaru parents suck, Trucker/Mechanic Mondo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-04-18 17:31:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 67,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14218152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valethra/pseuds/Valethra
Summary: Kiyotaka Ishimaru should be happy working for a high-paying tech company and living in a spacious apartment, but he's not. His life is missing something vital. He finds it in the most unexpected of places— in the passenger's seat of a beat-up tow truck, sitting beside a dangerous-looking and also REALLY HOT trucker.





	1. Unhappy Refrain

Kiyotaka Ishimaru should have been happy.

He had always been at the top of his class in high school, and he'd graduated with honors from a prestigious college. He worked at a high-paying tech firm and was up for a major promotion, and his job came with benefits to die for. He had a spacious apartment and a gym membership and a pretty nice car. In terms of a checklist, Kiyotaka had just about everything that a person could want.

Why, then, was he so miserable?

Every morning he woke with a feeling of dread in his stomach. On his commute to work, he'd grind his teeth and secretly hope that the building would explode or something. Anything to keep him from having to go back there. The job was stressful and thankless, and he had no interest in tech work anyway. He was good at it, sure, but that wasn't the same thing.

His parents would call him just about every evening, as soon as his work shift should have ended, and grill him about what he'd done that day. Had he impressed his boss? Had he gone above and beyond to fulfill the company's needs? His mother and father had drilled the importance of good grades and a solid résumé into his head since he was old enough to read.

On four afternoons out of the week, Kiyotaka went to the gym right after work. At night, he found himself too tired to do anything for himself. He'd sit down on his sofa and watch the news, and he often fell asleep there rather than in his bed. Then he'd wake up early in the morning to start the cycle all over again.

He hated his routine, and he hated his job, and he hated his boss. He'd hate his parents if he could, too, and he did openly detest the people they made him meet with so often. Kiyotaka's father, Takaaki, wanted to start the family's tech business back up again. The one that Takaaki's father had bankrupted. And since Takaaki had never been as brilliant as his son, he forced the weight of the family's goals onto his shoulders.

Kiyotaka should have been happy, but he was exactly the opposite.

This particular morning was no exception. He woke with a headache and took a quick cold shower before making himself a breakfast of egg whites and turkey bacon with a glass of orange juice. He read the paper as he ate and dreamed of the job he'd have if he had any say in the matter, or the pet he might adopt if he had the free time to care for it. He got dressed in his stiff work attire and his stupid bland tie and packed his briefcase and duffel bag, and then the commute to work began again.

Traffic was slow, constantly lulling and coming to a stop only to pick up moments later. Even so, Kiyotaka was on time, and for an Ishimaru, "on time" meant ten minutes early.

He breezed through his work, barely eating anything for his lunch break, and answered stupid corporate emails and participated in stupid office gossip. He always had to sit through the same conversation with at least three different groups of people. He'd constructed an entire false personality to deal with the mundanity of it.

Finally, his work shift ended. Next was the gym. He changed into the workout clothes he'd brought with him in his bag, and then he worked himself to the point of exhaustion on the various machines. He cooled down and changed clothes once more, into something more casual.

Normally he would head home right away, but on this particular night, he just wanted a steaming bowl of udon.

He _had_ to have it.

So instead, he made his way for the nearest restaurant that was sure to serve noodles. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO EVERYONE, AS USUAL NEW ISHIMONDO IDEAS HAPPEN WHEN I HAVE LIKE FIFTEEN OTHER LONG THINGS TO WRITE, PLEASE HELP
> 
> I wanted to finally write a proper AU for these two (I've got two long ones planned for the future), and also wanted to write something where Mondo is the one who has his shit together and has to help Taka, so this happened.
> 
> Anyway, I should mention that this story dives vaguely into some dark territory, but I don't wanna be too specific and spoil everything. I'll mention now that there's slightly detailed (kinda? idk) discussion of childhood abuse— physical, sexual, and verbal/emotional. Warnings will be on specific chapters, but if you're not in a place to read about a character having experienced past child molestation, you should probably avoid this particular fic.


	2. Hot Damn, He's... Familiar?

Kiyotaka deeply inhaled the tempting smell of miso as he waited. The line wasn't long, and he was still tired, so he wasn't in any hurry.

There _was_ something distracting him, though.

Just behind him in line was a man. A man who was significantly taller than him. A man broad and muscular in build, with sleeves of tattoos and skin tinted a deep bronze and long wavy hair.

For whatever reason, Kiyotaka seemed to see that guy almost everywhere he went. He didn't get out much outside of his routine, so that wasn't saying a lot, but it was still true. He'd caught glimpses of him buying beer and dog food at the grocery store, and he'd passed him on the sidewalk, and he'd definitely spotted him at the gym, and they seemed to share similar taste in restaurants. ...Was this some series of insane coincidences, or was he being followed?

Kiyotaka turned to look over his shoulder at the man, who donned a devious smirk. His eyes— Kiyotaka had never been close enough before to see the details of them, but they were lavender and framed by thick black lashes. They were... _intense_.

"You." He said it before Kiyotaka could, lifting up his head like he was studying his prey. "What's your deal? Are ya followin' me or somethin'?"

This man's voice was _low_ , a rumble that purred over his vocal chords. Kiyotaka frowned at him while ignoring the little thrill that raced down his spine.

"I was about to ask you the very same question!"

The other man chuckled and apparently didn't care to add anything else. He turned to look at the line beside him and judge the number of customers, so Kiyotaka got a good look at his hair. He had about half of it pulled into a messy sort of bun, and that hair was bleached an orange-ish brown, while the rest of it was black and hung free.

Kiyotaka pondered the exact number of encounters he and the other man had had while the line grew shorter. His face paled when he recalled a night when his anxiety had gotten the better of him and he'd had _way_ too much to drink after celebrating a big contract win with some coworkers.

About three months ago, he had stayed for far longer than everyone else and downed more booze than he should have, trying to drown his sorrows. He'd wandered out onto the street. He was told later that a stranger had more or less rescued him from certain death and half-carried him back into the bar. That man had allegedly stayed with him until a taxi came to retrieve him, and he'd even paid a friend of his to ride with him and usher him back into his apartment.

Kiyotaka had wanted to thank this good samaritan, of course, but he had been unable to remember what he looked like. ...Unable to remember, that is, except for one small detail:

Since he had spent at least an hour with his head pressed against the mystery man's side, he'd gotten a good view of his pectoral beneath the loose-fitting black tank top he'd been wearing. And the mystery man had had some kind of elaborate crest emblazoned there in ink.

Funnily enough, the kind-of-stranger right behind Kiyotaka seemed to be heavily tattooed, and he was wearing a shirt with a neck cut deep enough that it revealed more ink stretching down his chest. He tried not to stare. The other man's eyes caught his anyway.

"What?" he grumbled. He flashed a mischievous grin. "Like somethin' you see?"

"That—" Kiyotaka's face went red, and he sputtered helplessly. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?!"

The near-stranger laughed at his expense as Kiyotaka's number was finally called. Kiyotaka retrieved his bowl of udon and fled the area with his head down.


	3. Not-So-Bad Boy

Kiyotaka was only alone for about four minutes before he heard another bowl clatter onto his table and caught sight of someone slipping onto the bench across from him. Uninvited.

He tried not to look up. He could hear the guy chuckling at something.

"Can I help you?" he muttered in a terse tone, indicating that he didn't actually want to help. He risked a glance at the man's expression, which was exactly the kind of self-satisfied smile he'd been expecting. The man whistled.

"Somebody's touchy. You're a lot nicer when you're drunk."

Kiyotaka choked on his noodles.

"That—" he dabbed at the corner of his mouth with a napkin. "That _was_ you!"

The man patted his chest.

"The very same." He extended a hand. "Name's Mondo."

Kiyotaka stared at the hand. He had very short fingernails and calloused fingertips and big knuckles. After releasing a sigh, he took the hand with his own and gave it a shake.

"...Ishimaru."

"Nuh-uh," the near-stranger called Mondo scolded. "I don't think that's your given name."

Kiyotaka groaned. What did this guy want, his entire life history? A blood sample? His astrological sign?

" _Fine_. It's— my name is Kiyotaka. Kiyotaka Ishimaru. Happy?!"

Mondo laughed and did an elaborate little bow.

"Oowada," he added. "Mondo Oowada." He stroked his slightly stubbly chin for a moment as he thought. "...Think I'm gonna call ya Taka," he murmured. Kiyotaka glared at him.

"You will do no such thing! In case you've forgotten, I barely know you."

" _Wow_. Y'really are nicer when you're drunk. ...I think I know ya pretty well, even if you don't remember. You told me all about your shitty job and that coworker ya can't stand. Hell, I even know that you wanna adopt a cat 'cuz your apartment is lonely."

Kiyotaka turned red again.

"...I don't recall making that admission, and that's very sad and embarrassing of me. I'm sorry that you had to hear such a thing."

"Hey, cats are cute. ...Dogs are way better, but cats are still cute."

A long silence passed as Kiyotaka took a few bites of his udon. Mondo seemed to be waiting for his to cool. Or watching him eat. Maybe both? Either way, the broth was calming and fulfilling, and Kiyotaka felt his muscles relax. He sighed as he set down his utensils and faced Mondo properly.

"Th... Thank you," he said quietly. "I could have died if you hadn't taken such good care of me. I've seen you around quite a bit, but I haven't ever spoken to you... Not sober, anyway. ...I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier. I'm just... a bit stressed out. It seems that I have developed a tendency to lash out at those who least deserve it these days."

Mondo's smile turned warm and genuine.

"Nah, don't apologize. ...I see you around here plenty. Ya always look so damn serious." He laughed. "I think a cat might do ya some good."

"I'm inclined to agree, but I haven't got the time to take care of one."

"Yeah, ya probably don't. Not with your shit job."

"I-It's not a bad job!" Kiyotaka protested. "The pay is high, and the benefits package is excellent!"

"But ya hate it. It makes ya unhappy. And it leaves ya with no time to pursue a passion in life or make any friends. Call me unrealistic or whatever, but I think that's a waste of fuckin' time."

Kiyotaka frowned, returning his attention to his bowl.

"Hardly anybody _likes_ going to work, Oowada-san. It's just something that must be done, and it won't do me any good to complain about it and leave only to find the same thing elsewhere."

"Ya don't have to call me that. Jus' _Mondo_ is fine," Mondo insisted, "and anyway... Of course tons of people have no choice but to work shitty jobs. I'm not always crazy about mine. But those people find somethin' else to make 'em happy, like startin' a family or supportin' a hobby, and you don't have any of that."

Kiyotaka had no reply. Mostly because everything that Mondo said was true. He chose not to acknowledge the truth behind that statement, though, and instead changed the subject.

"...If you do not mind my asking, what is it that you have tattooed on your chest? It's the only thing I can recall of your appearance, but the image in my head is unclear."

Mondo's wolfish grin returned. Instead of just explaining it, he gripped the fabric of his shirt, by the neckline, and tugged it down until the tattoo (and his very firm pectoral) was exposed. It was some kind of vaguely circular emblem surrounded by off-shooting lines of Japanese script, with the English words "crazy diamonds" underneath.

"Think of it as a family crest," he boasted. "My big bro and I ran a biker gang for a while. We both left it in good hands when we decided to get proper jobs."

"That's... great." Kiyotaka was surprised that a former gang member would help out some drunk stranger. "Are the two of you close?"

"Yeah, yeah," Mondo said happily. "I mean, we still lived together until a couple of months ago, and he only moved about ten minutes away. Guy's my best friend."

Kiyotaka tried to suppress the jealousy he felt upon hearing that. Having a family that loved you, having siblings... It sounded really nice.

"I'm happy for you. I've... never had any siblings, and I wouldn't say I'm close to my parents. Or the rest of my family."

The two of them spent a strangely relaxed hour like that— telling the other a bit about themselves and chatting about whatever came to mind— as they ate their respective bowls of udon. Mondo had to do most of the talking because Kiyotaka was so tired, and he suggested working out together the next time they encountered one another at the gym. Kiyotaka gave him a vague answer. He didn't want to commit to anything.

By the time they were done, it was very dark outside, and Kiyotaka bade Mondo a sleepy farewell before making his way back to his own home.


	4. Parental Controls

"Ishimaru? Look alive!"

Kiyotaka's boss' voice invaded his thoughts. He stammered a quick apology before he got back to work.

Normally he had no trouble focusing at work. He eased through it on most days. Today was different, and for reasons that he was ashamed to admit: he kept having embarrassing and very unprofessional daydreams.

He'd never felt this frustrated with himself. He hardly ever thought about relationships, or about sex, and he put everything he had into making it through the day without collapsing from overwork. But here he was, having erotic (and slightly masochistic?) daydreams about someone he hardly knew, like some horny teenager. It was distracting, and it was out of character for him, especially because these fantasies were far less tame than ones he'd had in the past.

But the fact remained: he was insanely, ridiculously attracted to Mondo Oowada. Which was weird, because that wasn't normally his type. He'd always been a fan of tall and muscular guys, sure, but never the ones with tattoos and long hair and a five-o-clock shadow before. Mondo seemed to be the exception to his rule.

Kiyotaka skipped lunch to make up for lost time and spent the last few hours of his shift typing angrily and absolutely refusing to think about Mondo.

His coworkers gathered in the break room near the end of the day to celebrate someone's retirement with a cake. Everyone was friendly and the room was full of smiling faces. It annoyed Kiyotaka, who knew that each smiling person had gossiped about Ichijou before and said they couldn't wait to get rid of him. It was like each employee had two separate faces. And he couldn't fault them for this, because he'd become the exact same way. He scarfed down a slice of cake to fill the emptiness of his stomach left by his lack of a lunch break. He'd have to work off the calories at the gym tomorrow.

As soon as he made it into his car, he breathed heavily and deeply, squeezing his eyes shut as his hands gripped the sides of the steering wheel. It was an effort to reign in his anxiety. When he got home, he'd have to get some extra work done to make up for his earlier failures. And then, maybe, he would feel a bit better.

He took a quiet backroad to avoid traffic. His stomach growled. That cake hadn't been very filling. It was while he was thinking about what to eat for dinner that his car speaker made a quiet dinging sound, informing him that someone was calling his cell phone. He clicked a button.

"Hello?"

" _Nice of you to answer us, Kiyotaka_."

Kiyotaka winced. He _knew_ he'd forgotten something yesterday. He hadn't called his parents, and he must have missed their call. He didn't usually take detours to noodle restaurants or spend a good hour conversing with men he barely knew, and he had turned off his phone to help him focus on relaxation.

"I-I'm terribly sorry, mother. I had to get some extra work done and forgot about our phone call."

His mother hummed, like she wasn't sure whether to believe him or not.

" _I certainly hope that's the case. The last thing your father and I need is for you to start slacking off_." Kiyotaka heard her pouring herself a glass of wine. " _Now, you'll have to clear your schedule for tomorrow night. Your father has arranged a dinner with the Nevermind family, and their daughter is going to be there. If you play your cards right, the two of you could hit it off_."

Kiyotaka felt his muscles tense. The Neverminds— they were local foreign-born art dealers and heavily involved in the city's social scene. The parents always donated a lot of money to political campaigns, and the daughter was the area's most famous heiress and always the talk of the town. How was he supposed to make a good impression on somebody like her?

"...O-Oh? That's... great. I'll be there."

" _Kiyotaka_." His mother's voice turned firm and scolding. " _You must take this seriously. We've introduced you to so many beautiful women from good families, and you still aren't married!_ "

 _Oh no_. Kiyotaka felt his head spinning.

"I just haven't hit it off with any of them—"

" _Nonsense. If you'd put in the least bit of effort, you'd be married by now. It's like you don't even appreciate how hard your father works to arrange these gatherings!_ "

 _No_.

"I'm sorry, okay?!"   
  
" _Don't use that tone of voice with me! You should have been married years ago. You're not getting any younger, and if you don't get serious about this, your time will be up. You're twenty-four years old and still single! Don't you know how embarrassing that is for me?_ "

_No, no, no._

"I-I just haven't found the right—"

And just as Kiyotaka's anxiety reached the boiling point and he felt the urge to vomit, he heard a loud pop, and his car heaved and jolted before it screeched to a stop. He couldn't help but shout, and his heart beat so fast that he couldn't hear his mother over it. He took a moment to focus on breathing. He didn't need to have a panic attack right now.

"What was that? Did you hit something? If you can't even focus on driving, don't answer my calls until you're home!"

 _You scream at me whenever I dismiss one of your calls_ , Kiyotaka bit back and stopped himself from replying. He huffed.

"I think there was something in the road that I couldn't see," he answered. "I might have a flat tire. I'll call you back later."

He hung up with another click of a button, ignoring his mother's protests. She'd have to yell at him about how disrespectful and inattentive he was later.

Kiyotaka groaned as he studied the damage. Sure enough, someone had left some kind of metal scrap in the road, and it had popped one of his tires. He didn't have a spare, and he wouldn't know how to change a tire even if he tried.

Kiyotaka growled in frustration before pulling out his cell phone and calling for a tow truck.


	5. Can't Catch a Break

The company that Kiyotaka got ahold of seemed reputable enough. They'd tow your damaged car directly to their workshop, where they'd fix the damages and then send you on your way, and for a reasonable price. They were even fair enough to give Kiyotaka a cost estimate before sending out a driver for him.

He only had to wait about fifteen minutes. If he'd taken his usual route, he'd have to wait for the truck to get to him through the other cars, but these low-traffic roads were clear. The vehicle was enormous and painted green, with the company logo painted on both of the front doors in white. He got out of his own damaged car to greet his rescuer.

Kiyotaka heard the truck driver's door open and shut, and he heard heavy footsteps approaching him over the gravel and dirt.

"Just a flat tire, right? Doesn't look too bad. You can ride up front with me if—"

The driver's familiar voice trailed off. Clearly, he recognized Kiyotaka.

 _Oh, come on_ , Kiyotaka thought, protesting his fate to whatever gods would listen. He'd spent the last few hours trying not to think about a specific person only for the bastard to show up all on his own.

 _Of course_ it just had to be Oowada.

"Well, shit," Mondo laughed, running a hand through his hair. He removed the cigarette from his mouth so he could speak more clearly. He kept walking closer to Kiyotaka, who fought the urge to take a step back, or to run away entirely. "Seems like we just keep runnin' into each other."

"It certainly does," Kiyotaka grumbled. He glared at the cigarette. "But I'm not riding up there with you unless you put that thing out."

He'd hoped that Mondo would refuse, and that that would be his excuse to not ride up front with him, but Mondo instead shrugged and tossed the cigarette down on the pavement, where he put it out with his foot.

"Fine by me. ...Gimme a minute to get your car up on the truck, okay?"

Kiyotaka waited as Mondo rescued his car from the road. It seemed that only the tire was damaged, but it was torn to shreds. Once everything was ready, Mondo signaled for him to get in the passenger's seat of his truck, and Kiyotaka braced himself for the worst possible turnout.

"So," Mondo said as soon as Kiyotaka had his seatbelt fastened. "Have ya thought about me?"

Kiyotaka glared at his stupid shiny teeth, the ones that didn't seem appropriate for a smoker to have. What kind of a question was that, anyway?

"No," he replied, only because replying with _Actually, I had a dream last night that you used my tie to bind my hands behind my back and assaulted the back of my throat with your cock until I begged for it, and then you sprawled me over a desk and took me from behind and fucked me senseless_ seemed like a pretty bad idea.

Mondo chuckled as he started up the engine, like he somehow knew that he wasn't being honest. Kiyotaka could only hope that he didn't know the extent of his lie. He just might die of embarrassment if that was the case.

"Fair enough, I guess. You're always so _busy_ ," Mondo replied somewhat mockingly. Kiyotaka kept his eyes fixed on the road and watched as the asphalt started moving beneath them.

"I _am_ busy."

"Doin' some shit that you hate, I'm sure."

"I don't need you to lecture me about this again!"

Mondo's laugh was kind of hoarse. Kiyotaka looked around and spotted the box of cigarettes and the ashtray, suspecting that that was why his laughter sounded like that. He scrunched up his nose at it.

"...For one thing, I'm not about to take any life advice from a smoker," he said bluntly as he tapped the box with one finger. "These things will _kill you_. You're aware of that, aren't you?"

"Course I am," Mondo said with a shrug. "S'why I'm tryin' to quit. I'm down to one cigarette a day."

"...Oh." Kiyotaka recalled the mostly-intact cigarette that was now lying on the road somewhere behind them. "...Did I make you waste your one for today?"

"Little bit."

"...Sorry."

Mondo seemed to find the apology hilarious, and he slapped Kiyotaka's shoulder.

"Why? It'll kill me, won't it?"

"...I guess that's true." Kiyotaka looked up, and he managed a bright smile of his own. "In that case... you're welcome!"

Mondo laughed so hard that Kiyotaka was certain it could be heard from outside of the truck.


	6. Persistence is Key

"Y'seem tense."

Kiyotaka had been staring out of the window and nearly forgotten his surroundings, so Mondo's voice made him flinch.

"I'm fine."

"I don't buy that for a fuckin' second."

"And? It's none of your business!"

Mondo snickered and shook his head.

" _Look_ , we've still got some time before we make it back to the shop," he pointed out. "And I'm bored. Talkin' to me won't hurt anything. Ya might even feel better. ...Tell me. How's a guy like you get so distracted that ya fucked up your tire like that?"

Kiyotaka looked around at that comment. It had only taken Mondo fifteen minutes to reach his car, so why was the drive taking longer this time? Had he taken a wrong turn somewhere? He didn't want to make any assumptions, but it seemed as if Mondo was purposefully extending the duration of this trip. He couldn't imagine why he'd do something like that, though.

He huffed in a long breath.

"...Okay. You got me. You're right, okay?! I _hate_  my stupid job. I hate it so much that I could just cry. I never wanted to go into the IT field in the first place, but my parents practically forced me to, and now they call me every single day to lecture me about working hard and making them proud, and about how I should be married by now, and... I just don't know what to do with all of the stress! I was being scolded by my mother and zoned out, and now... Here we are."

Kiyotaka wasn't sure why he'd said all of that. For one thing, Mondo was still someone he'd classify as an almost-stranger, and how likely was it that he actually gave a damn about all of this? Mondo hummed in thought.

"...You're an adult, aren't ya? You don't _have_ to listen to yer parents anymore. Fuck 'em for tryin' to tell ya what to do with your life, anyway."

"That—" Kiyotaka reddened in disbelief. "Let's not say 'fuck my parents', okay?!"

Mondo snickered, studying him out of the corner of his eye.

"That word just... sounds weird n' kinda wrong comin' outta your mouth. You never really swear, do ya?"

"Of course not. It isn't professional."

"But it's a hell of a stress reliever. Sometimes ya gotta just throw somethin' or hit somethin' and swear at the top of your lungs. If you don't even let yourself curse every once in a while... Ya probably don't have an outlet."

Kiyotaka frowned. _Did_ he have an outlet? Sometimes working out made him feel better, but since he was doing it to stay in shape and earn his parents' approval and avoid them making comments about him getting fat, it could also become yet another point of stress. And he didn't have a hobby or a show he liked to watch or anything like that.

When he was in elementary school, he had enjoyed studying martial arts and practicing calligraphy. But he didn't have time for either of those things anymore.

"...I... guess I don't." He scoffed. "But what do you know, anyway? What makes you think I ought to heed your advice?"

"Well..." Mondo cracked a wry smile. "I'm happy, and you aren't. I'd say that's a good enough place to start."

 _Well, damn_. He wasn't wrong. Kiyotaka sighed and rubbed one of his eyes.

"O-Oh, yeah? And just what are you so happy about?"

Mondo shrugged.

"My life is... in a good place. I addressed all the shit that was makin' me angry all the time, I have family and friends and a buncha dogs that I love, n' I really like my job most days. Drivin' a truck isn't always the most exciting thing, and the hours can get pretty long n' inconsistent, but I get ta be around machines and learn more tricks for fixin' up engines, n' that lets me support my hobby."

"And what hobby is that?"

"I flip cars. I buy a really shit car offa somebody and make it seem brand new. Sometimes they're too far gone and I just salvage 'em for parts, or I gotta replace everything inside and only keep the frame, but it still feels good. N' then I sell the car cheap, since I'm not in it for the profits."

"That... must make a lot of people happy. Cars are getting more and more expensive, and it's practically impossible to get a loan for lots of people..."

"It _does_ make a lotta people happy. My fuckin' self included."

Kiyotaka scoffed.

"You certainly do enjoy your swearing!"

"No more than you apparently enjoy bein' uptight and miserable."

Kiyotaka searched his entire brain for some kind of retort, and it died on his tongue, because he didn't have any real protest. Nothing that Mondo wouldn't just shoot right down, anyway.

"...I don't enjoy it. I don't." He wasn't sure when he'd gotten roped into being lectured by a truck driver who smoked cigarettes and had a body covered in tattoos, and he didn't know why he was disclosing these kinds of details when he had no obligation to do so, but, hell, here he was. There was no going back. "I... I do _want_ to be happy. Doesn't everyone? I just... don't know how to do that. People like you always make it look so easy."

"People like me?" Mondo raised an eyebrow. "What kinda people is that?"

"...I don't know. Carefree?"

"Eh. Fair enough. I'm the most carefree guy in the world compared t'somebody like you." He seemed to think something over for a second. From what Kiyotaka could see from the corner of his eye, anyway. He was trying not to look at him. For obvious reasons. "...But, see, that doesn't mean that I just don't give a shit. It takes a while to figure out what ya wanna do, or what kinda person you wanna be. That's true for everybody."

"...How did _you_ figure it out?"

"Mm?"

"How did you just up and decide to be happy?"

"Well..." Mondo's gaze turned distant. Kiyotaka studied his face, waiting for an answer (and trying not to get distracted), but instead, Mondo's eyes caught sight of something else, and the feeling passed. "...That's kind of a long story, and we're here."

The truck pulled to a stop in front of the auto shop, and a noticeably well-endowed woman ran up to greet them, already prepared to get to work. She and Mondo seemed to know one another pretty well. Kiyotaka waited inside of the shop, in a little sitting room, until the tire was replaced, and then he was tossed his keys and a bill and sent on his way.

The sun was beginning to set outside by the time it was all said and done. Kiyotaka hesitated in front of his car. He dreaded leaving this little haven of something different, something new, to return to his life.

Just as he gripped the car's handle, he heard Mondo shout something after him that he didn't quite catch.

"What did you say?" He shouted back.

Mondo, waiting near the entrance of the garage with the woman he'd seen earlier, gave him a casual wave and a wide grin. He was wearing a tank top again, and it hung low and left his arms completely exposed.

"I'll see ya around! Promise."

Kiyotaka swallowed again, as his mouth felt dry all of a sudden.

"...Y-Yes... Sometime soon. Thank you! Goodbye!"

He scrambled inside of his car and sped away without waiting for any kind of reply. The woman mechanic punched Mondo in the arm and laughed at something. Once he was out of their range of sight, Kiyotaka slapped his own cheek.

If he had to guess, he was doomed to spend another night having the most shameful kinds of dreams.


	7. Never Mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meant to have this up yesterday, but then I fell into a NyQuil coma.

"Kiyotaka...? Kiyotaka! We need you to focus! Don't embarrass us."

Kiyotaka's mother's voice was as harsh and unforgiving as it always was. Kiyotaka tried not to glare at her.

This time, at least, he hadn't been distracted by some embarrassing sexual fantasy (though he had had plenty of those while he'd slept, and another right after work). His distraction this time was much more tame, but still silly in a different kind of way. He had been imagining his dream job again.

There was no use thinking about such things, of course. He had to restore the family business, and he couldn't just start his whole life over because some insanely attractive trucker said he should. He had responsibilities and a duty to his parents to uphold.

...Right?

...Right.

"Sorry, mom. I just... want to impress her as much as I can."

His mother, Satsuki, gave an approving nod. Her cold expression didn't change. Like she approved of the idea, but not necessarily of him.

"As well you should. This one is the cream of the crop. Getting her attention... Well, it just might make your father and I forget all of your earlier failures."

_Wow. Thanks, mom._

He chose to ignore her comment and straighten his tie. He didn't like wearing suits like this. They made him look almost exactly like his father. Takaaki was off conversing with the family head somewhere on the balcony, he was sure. The Neverminds (what kind of a name was that, anyway?) kept a lovely home. It dwarfed any other home that Kiyotaka had seen in person.

He was only able to study the decor for a moment before Satsuki thrust him into some side room. It was some kind of sitting room or foyer or something, with little else but a sofa and a table and an armchair. A blonde woman sat in the center of the sofa. She was studying an expensive-looking teacup, and not doing much of anything else. Waiting.

"Now is your best chance," Satsuki hissed. "Make good conversation. Don't mess this up."

"Right."

The girl looked up when she heard his voice, and heard him enter the room. Her eyes were a captivating shade of blue, and her hair glittered like fields of wheat. She was definitely pretty. It was shame that Kiyotaka wasn't attracted to women, really. The young lady stood and curtsied.

"I'm terribly sorry— I did not hear you enter. My name is Sonia Nevermind. You must be Kiyotaka." She giggled as she took in his features. "And I must say, you're far more handsome than your father said you would be!"

Kiyotaka frowned slightly, because that was both a compliment and an insult. Was his father running around town telling people that he had an ugly son, or what?

_Thanks for the dazzling endorsement, dad._

"...Thank you? You're, uh... quite lovely yourself."

He sat down next to her, and they spent ten minutes forcing conversation. Satsuki poked her head in every once in a while to make sure that things were going well. Apparently, she couldn't sense the uncomfortable atmosphere.

Sonia suddenly slammed her teacup down.

"Would you like to see our garden, Kiyotaka?"

It wasn't a question. Kiyotaka could tell from her tone, and her smile was plastered on and kind of creepy as she asked. He glanced at his mother in the doorway, who gave an approving nod.

"S-Sure," he agreed. "I'm sure that the garden is beautiful!"

He stood, and instead of casually following Sonia's lead, she gripped his wrist and dragged him behind her like a dog on a leash. Down several corridors and a flight of stairs, then through two tall glass doors, and they found themselves in a lush garden with a fountain in the center and beautifully kept rose bushes everywhere. Sonia collapsed onto a wooden bench in front of the fountain.

"...It's lovely," Kiyotaka managed. His back was stiff and straight. Sonia was rubbing her temples. "I'm quite partial to roses—"

" _Drop it_." Sonia gave him a disapproving look. She looked like a different person when she was slumped over and frowning. "I do not mean to insult you, but you are not a very good actor. You clearly do not want to be here any more than I do. ...And that is okay. You do not have to impress anyone out here."

Kiyotaka stared at her for a moment, unsure if she was being serious or not. When her expression remained the same, he practically deflated.

" _Oh, thank god_."

He imitated her and fell onto the bench.

For a few minutes, neither one said anything. They silently lamented their fates and this terrible, boring dinner party. Then, when she'd recovered, Sonia turned to Kiyotaka and gave him a real smile, one that didn't look rehearsed.

"I hope I did not make you feel too poorly, it is just... My parents insist upon trying to force me into marrying a wealthy man in a high-paying field, or a 'smart' man, when they already know that I am in love."

"Why would they try to marry you off to _me_ , then?" Kiyotaka laughed. "Everybody around here knows what my grandfather did. Our company went bankrupt. He went to jail."

"Still, your parents have become respectably wealthy on their own right and are heavily involved in city politics. And they are always going on and on about how you will someday restore the company to its former glory. My family can relate— we have an irresponsible uncle who cost us no small amount of money for a while. Also, you're making quite a bit, and you seem respectable and stable. They would much rather have me wed to someone like you than to the man I've fallen for."

"...Is he poor or something?" Kiyotaka asked carefully. Sonia looked sad talking about it. She shrugged.

"Not _poor_ , but... He did come from poverty, and he no longer has a family. He runs a nonprofit animal rescue and shelter. He makes enough to live on, mostly because so many people want to advertise on his blog and buy the t-shirts, but he is not wealthy or an upperclassman by any stretch of the imagination. He lives in a little cabin out in the woods so that he can be near his animals."

"An animal guy, huh...? He sounds nice."

Sonia giggled.

"He is very nice. _Very_ strange, too, but he is somehow charming despite that." She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "...And what about you? You clearly have no interest in marrying. Has a lady already captured your fancy?"

"O-Oh, no, it's... nothing like that." Kiyotaka blushed and leaned in a little closer, just in case someone else was listening. "I'm just _really_ gay."

Sonia blinked at him in surprise for a moment, and then she burst into a fit of girlish giggling. She squeezed one of his hands.

"Oh, you poor thing!" She took a moment to recover and wiped a tear from one of her eyes, and then gave him a sympathetic pat. "Do your parents not know, or do they simply not care?!"

"They know. I've told them. They just think that it's a phase, or that it's a _weird preference_ that I'll have to learn to ignore."

"Twenty-four years is an awfully long time for a phase, isn't it?"

Kiyotaka chuckled knowingly.

"It... certainly is."

There was a quiet moment, this one peaceful. Kiyotaka thought that it was nice to meet someone in a similar boat. Sonia seemed to think something over for a while, and then she gave him a mischievous smile and retrieved a couple of items from her fancy little purse. She scribbled something on a piece of paper that she tore from a leather-bound address book and slid it across the wood of the bench and into his hand. He picked it up and studied it.

"Why give me your number? I just told you that I'm gay, didn't I?" He was clear, in his tone, that he was joking, even if he didn't yet understand what she was doing. She laughed and handed him the pen and a second sheet of paper.

"We will exchange numbers so that we can keep in touch. ...I like you. I do not want to marry you, of course, but I do _like_ you, so... If you tell your parents that you and I hit it off, I will tell mine the very same thing. It will keep them off of our backs for a couple of months, at least, so long as we call one another and meet up every so often."

Kiyotaka's eyes widened, and he stared at the paper she had offered. He quickly scrawled his own cell phone number down and passed the note to her. She folded it and tucked it into her purse, and he put hers in his pocket.

"It's a deal." He offered her a handshake. "Are we partners in fake romance, then?"

She smiled as she returned the shake. Her grip was surprisingly firm for a such a delicate-looking young lady.

"Partners. I look forward to working with you."

She gave him a wink, and for the first time in a long time, Kiyotaka felt like things were beginning to look up.


	8. Code Cracker

"Hey, Ishimaru-kun, do you want to go to lunch together? Just the two of us?"

Kiyotaka choked on his iced tea at that question.

Because the girl asking him wasn't just _any_ girl. She was the daughter of the CEO of this very company, and a more gifted programmer would be difficult to find.

Chihiro Fujisaki's intelligence and skill on top of her petite figure and cute demeanor made her very popular with the other men in the office. She was valuable to the company, of course, but she wasn't terribly sociable. While she was exceedingly kind, her crippling shyness meant that she usually kept to herself.

"...I... had no other plans," he sputtered when he'd finished choking, pretending that he had planned on taking a lunch. "But why do you ask?"

He and Chihiro were on friendly terms, but he didn't think that she had considered him a friend. She was nicer to him than anyone else here. She'd gone with him and other coworkers to bars and restaurants when they celebrated promotions or contracts. She had even been the one to tell him about Mondo's rescuing him from an alcohol-induced death, and had apparently argued with Mondo for a short while that she should be the one to look after him before he'd shooed her away.

Still. She'd never asked him to accompany her alone.

Chihiro shrugged.

"I dunno, you... just seem a little _off_ lately. I just wanted to spend some time with you and see if you were okay."

Kiyotaka mentally beat himself up. So people _were_ beginning to notice. His constant distraction was affecting his workplace productivity, both positively and negatively. When certain truckers or dreams of a tech-field-free life plagued his thoughts, he lost his focus, and his work suffered. But then he'd get hyper-fixated on it in an effort to correct those mistakes, and he'd churn out high-quality stuff and even complete work for other people or way ahead of schedule. Then he would be able to sleep at knight knowing he hadn't let anybody down.

His behavior had been erratic and strange lately, and people were beginning to give him curious looks here and there. His parents were happy with the changes. They thought that it was simply because their son had fallen head over heels for a beautiful heiress. His coworkers, however, were less fond of the change, and Kiyotaka wished he could just pull himself together for once.

Mondo Oowada's worst offense wasn't the sexual fantasies he'd inspired or his overtly nosy nature. It was the fact that he'd managed to rattle Kiyotaka to his core in only a couple of conversations. He'd forced him to blatantly and directly address how unhappy he was. And that was making it harder to keep up the ruse.

"...You know what?" Kiyotaka logged out of his work computer. He felt a rush of relief as soon as the documents and emails and reminders were no longer in his line of sight. "Sure, Fujisaki-chan. Let's go to lunch."

Chihiro smiled at him and waited by the office door until he grabbed up his things, and then they left the building together. Chihiro didn't say much on the course of this journey. She just pointed down the sidewalk and named a particular sandwich place as her destination. Kiyotaka had passed it before, so he knew where to go.

Kiyotaka found himself lost in deep thought as they walked side by side. Chihiro didn't prod him to talk. She did glance at him every once in a while, though, biting her lip as if she wanted to say something but didn't know how to phrase it. Kiyotaka ignored this in favor of organizing his thoughts.

Over the last month, he had focused on two things and two things alone: avoiding Mondo Oowada and building up his fake romance with Sonia Nevermind.

He'd been doing well enough at both things. He'd had two brief run-ins with Mondo after the towing incident, once at the grocery store and once at the gym. Mondo would grin and follow him around for a little while once he'd spotted him, and Kiyotaka would pretend to be annoyed and tell him to go away, insisting that he was busy. Mondo always just laughed, like he could tell that Kiyotaka wasn't being completely honest. It was frustrating. But he'd changed his schedule around, and that seemed to have corrected the issue. He hadn't seen the man, even from a distance, in at least a week.

On top of this, he'd started going out on fake dates with Sonia. Twice, now, they had made reservations at a fancy restaurant and eaten dinner together. Instead of flirting, though, they'd laugh gleefully about the success of their plan. Sonia talked about the man of her affections an awful lot. Apparently she had yet to confess to him, and while she suspected that he felt the same way about her, suspicion was all that she had. For now, the man thought of her as a very interested donor to his animal rescue campaigns.

Kiyotaka's parents would call after each date. He'd tell them that it had gone splendidly, and they would sound happy with him for once. They'd stopped calling every single night. He was sure that they were gossiping about him— telling all of their rich friends that their son had hit it off with the hottest heiress in town. They only ever talked willingly about him when they could use him for bragging rights, or else they'd just make snide comments when asked about their son.

Things were going... Well, _according to plan_ , Kiyotaka supposed. Even if he didn't know where the plan was headed. He knew he had to keep that trucker at an arm's length if he was going to manage this, though.

Chihiro made it to the door of the sandwich shop, and she held it open for him. Kiyotaka laughed at that. She managed to make the door look really heavy. She ran in and up to the counter, where the cashier seemed to recognize her, and ordered her own food before coaxing Kiyotaka to do the same, and then they took a seat at the nearest empty booth table.

She smiled at him. Kiyotaka tried to smile back, finding that it had become harder for him to force his usual work smile. It felt rehearsed and dishonest, now, when before he'd thought of it as nothing more than a formality. He wanted to breathe a sigh of relief when she looked away from him.

Maybe just a little bit of socialization wouldn't hurt. 


	9. Coming Closer and Closer

"Stress isn't good for you, you know. It can lead to cardiovascular problems."

"Oh, _trust me_ , I'm well aware."

Chihiro hadn't bothered with useless formalities and had gotten right down to the point of her concern. Not that it was any of her business. Kiyotaka didn't look at her and took a couple of bites out of his turkey sandwich and a sip of water. He could barely see her in the peripheral of his vision, and he saw her shake her head.

"...Do you even like working for this company?"

Kiyotaka paused. The fact that she was asking him these kinds of questions only confirmed his suspicions— his carefully-constructed facade had been cracked. His insecurity was leaking through. It was his worst nightmare. He had to recover somehow.

"What sort of a question is that? O-Of course I do!"

"...Huh." Kiyotaka tried to eat his lunch in peace, but Chihiro studied him like some kind of sample under a microscope. "It _is_ a high-stress job, you know, even for people that like it."

"...Oh? It causes you stress?"

Chihiro nodded. Kiyotaka was genuinely surprised to hear it. She did always seem nervous, but he'd thought that was just a point of her personality and not at all connected to the job.

"Well, yeah, sure. I think most jobs are at least a little bit stressful. And people expect a lot from me! I... don't want to let my father down, either."

"You could never let your father down."

Kiyotaka wasn't sure when he'd gotten so reassuring, but something about hearing Chihiro doubt herself tugged at his heartstrings. Was that what he looked like to her right now? Like some lost, lonely little kid?

Chihiro giggled.

"I'm happy that you feel that way, but even I mess up sometimes."

She finally started eating her own food. When she was about halfway finished, Chihiro gave Kiyotaka a warm smile.

"...You know, the office probably couldn't function without you holding it all together! I've always admired that about you. You're always so dependable, always offering help and staying energized. You're a constant. That's... why I don't like seeing you acting so anxious. If there's something wrong, you can tell me. I won't go tattling on you to my father or anything. ...I-Is it because Ichijou retired? Dad said that your workload went up after that."

 _I'm a constant?_ Kiyotaka thought bitterly. _I'm a lie_. He'd mastered putting on a friendly and invested front at work. His coworkers thought that he lived for his job, and they weren't entirely wrong (he literally didn't know how to do anything else), but they didn't know his reasons or sense the fact that he loathed everything about the place.

Kiyotaka sighed. If Chihiro was this worried about him, he felt that she deserved some kind of an answer. Being rude or dismissive to her was akin to kicking a puppy, and what kind of a person would he be if he did that?

"Tell me, Fujisaki-chan, why do you work there?"

Chihiro thoughtfully chewed a French fry before answering.

"Well... It's nerve-wracking, sure, but I actually like programming. I wouldn't stick around if I didn't. The reward of doing what I love to do is worth all of the headaches."

A simple, honest answer, and one that made sense. Jobs were stressful for everyone, but for Kiyotaka, there was never any kind of reward that made him feel like it was worth it. What kind of person spent thousands of dollars going to an expensive university just to go into a field they hated, anyway? Maybe Kiyotaka had it all wrong. Maybe Kiyotaka was the one who didn't make any sense. Maybe people like Mondo were the rational ones.

"Why do you work with us, Ishimaru-kun? Surely you don't mind my asking you the same question."

Kiyotaka flinched, and then he sighed.

He didn't have any good enough answer for her.

"...Well, you see, my family puts a lot of pressure on me. They're the ones who wanted me to go into this field. And... if I'm being honest, I'm uncertain about it. I've been distracted lately because I've been thinking about my career path."

He was leaving quite a bit out, but that _was_ the gist of it. He'd been spilling an awful lot of personal information lately, and he was trying to keep it to a minimum where he could.

"That's unfair," Chihiro said simply. "My parents support me in everything that I decide to do, even when they don't quite understand it. They're not supposed to make you unhappy."

"I-I never said that I'm unhappy!" _I am_. "It's just... I'm not sure if the IT field is the right place for me. I might change my long-term plan. Th-That doesn't mean that I'll be quitting tomorrow or anything. The pay and benefits are excellent. It's... just a job, right?"

He forced a casual laugh that didn't seem to convince Chihiro at all. She shook her head disapprovingly.

"What is it that you'd rather be doing, then, if you don't like business?"

Kiyotaka frowned, feeling his cheeks turn slightly pink. Chihiro's big hazel eyes were like a ray of truth, one that he couldn't ignore, that draws honesty from its victims. He couldn't lie to her. He could try to be discreet, right? He leaned in, and she imitated him, looking anticipatory.

"...In university, I minored in education."

"Really?" To Kiyotaka's surprise, Chihiro smiled and looked impressed. "I think that's wonderful. You would make an excellent teacher. You're so good at motivating others!"

Kiyotaka only hummed in response, hoping to drop the subject. He didn't like to think about what could have been, and he didn't want to explain his reasons for that dream job. Chihiro seemed to take the hint and returned to her food, deciding to spare Kiyotaka any further embarrassment.

 _Almost_. Her next comment made Kiyotaka choke on a potato chip (was she trying to kill him or something?!).

"But just so you know, you're not the only person here who struggles with insecurities. I've always been self-conscious about how weak I am. Wh-Which is why I'm actually glad you got so hopelessly drunk a few months ago. If that hadn't happened, I never would have met Oowada-kun!"

Kiyotaka pretended to clear his throat and feigned a casual stance.

"...I'm sorry, but what did you just say? How do you know his name?!"

Chihiro stared at him, tilting her head for a moment. She smirked.

"I've already told you about this, Ishimaru-kun. If you don't know, you must not have been paying attention to what I was saying."

Kiyotaka racked his brain and couldn't find any memory of a conversation where Chihiro had said _that name_. He really must not have been paying attention.

"I-I'm afraid it must have slipped my mind," he fibbed. Chihiro seemed to accept this, even if she still looked suspicious.

"Well, since you forgot, I'll tell you again. About a month after he rescued you, I ran into Oowada-kun while he was walking his dogs in the park and introduced myself to him. I thanked him for saving my coworker. A-And I just happened to notice that he's really big and muscular, and I asked him how he got that way. ...To make a long story short, he offered to help me work out! We meet up once or twice a week to train. I can lift thirty whole pounds now!"

Kiyotaka ignored how sad it was that she was proud of being able to lift thirty pounds and focused on the glaring problem: somehow, this damned trucker was slowly creeping his way into his immediate circle. Like he was trying to set in hooks and grab hold of his place before he could be removed.

"That... is wonderful, Fujisaki-chan!" Kiyotaka forced the widest and perhaps the most blatantly fake grin he'd ever sported. "I'm glad that you made a new friend because of my idiocy."

He tried to ignore the feeling of dread climbing its way into his gut as Chihiro laughed gleefully.

Kiyotaka would have to commit extra hard to his change of schedule, lest Mondo Oowada sink his teeth further into him. 


	10. Broken Portrait

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ADVANCE WARNING: This is Kiyotaka's sad backstory chapter. The parents are downright abusive (emotionally/verbally), and Toranosuke is involved, resulting in lots of traitorous criminal shit and a brief mention of suicide. Also a passing mention of animal death— just from natural causes, but still.

After returning from lunch and bidding Chihiro farewell, Kiyotaka worked silently for several hours. He left without talking to anybody else, and he skipped the gym in favor of sulking at home. He tried to watch TV. Nothing caught his interest. He couldn't focus on a book long enough to read. Night fell, and then he spoke to his parents on the phone and just nodded along to their lectures. Eventually the clock struck nine, and then he had no more excuse to be awake. He changed into his pajamas and climbed into bed.

There was a problem: Kiyotaka couldn't sleep.

For one thing, he was afraid of having another embarrassing wet dream, but that wasn't his main problem. Every time he closed his eyes, he started drifting back, mentally, to a time when he was small and still innocent, because Chihiro and her genuine kindness had somehow reminded him of that. Actually, whenever he flashed back, it was always to that exact time when his childish innocence had been shattered.

He groaned and rolled himself into a fetal position. The apartment was big, but it was lonely and empty, and the pressing sheet of darkness above him seemed to remind him of this fact. There wasn't a single sound. Nothing to indicate that any other human being anywhere gave a damn about him. This was a depressing thought.

Kiyotaka didn't want to face the visions waiting for him in sleep, but he had little say in it. His eyelids drooped and fluttered, and his breathing slowed, and he felt the abyss of sleep pull him down like hands from the netherworld.

Then, he saw it clearly.

He was six. His family was close-knit and comfortable, always smiling and laughing. There was plenty of money to go around, enough that Kiyotaka got to adopt a kitty of his very own. He'd named her Snowball, and he'd loved her like she was his own daughter.

Grandpa— the great Toranosuke Ishimaru— visited almost every single night. He stayed for dinner. He always had such amazing stories about all of the places he'd been, and whenever he came back from overseas business trips, he had candy and souvenirs for his beloved grandson. He'd teach him bits of other languages, and all about politics and history and economics, and he showed Kiyotaka how to shine his favorite boots so that they sparkled.

On his favorite nights, grandpa would read him stories by the fireplace. Dickens, mostly, but they were also fond of Hemingway. Any of the classics, really. If Kiyotaka's parents weren't home, grandpa would read him scary stories or let him watch movies that mom thought he wasn't old enough for.

On his favorite mornings, Kiyotaka got to ride with grandpa in his cool convertible car. They'd zip down the highway until they reached Kiyotaka's favorite ice cream place, and if he was especially good, grandpa would buy him a toy from the corner market. He liked to brag to the old lady that worked there about how smart his grandson was. He showed her Kiyotaka's honor roll certificate once, and then they gushed over him together.

He had his entire happy family, and there was plenty of money, and he had Snowball. She slept in the corner of his bed at night. His classmates picked on him sometimes, but he didn't let that get to him. They said his eyebrows looked funny and that his eyes were a weird color, but his mom told him that he was handsome, so he knew that those kids were lying. And all of his teachers liked him! They would let him eat lunch with them when the other kids were being mean. He told his favorite teacher that he would be a teacher like her when he got older, and she looked really happy.

Kiyotaka was seven. Grandpa's company got really big. Something about fortunes? Grown-ups said that it was a really big deal. The Ishimaru family had a big party where all the adults drank champagne and clinked their glasses together. Dad quit his job working at the bank and went to work for grandpa instead. Mom, who sold people houses for a living, started learning to do computer and phone things so she could work for the family too.

Grandpa started showing up in newspapers and fancy magazines, and he got another car, and Kiyotaka and his family got a bigger house. They had a backyard with a trampoline, and his classmates suddenly started being nicer to him because they heard about his pool and wanted to come over and play. His favorite teacher told him not to invite them over until they apologized to him, and he thought that was a good idea.

Kiyotaka was eight. The company got even bigger, but something was wrong. People would whisper amongst themselves and say that the company was growing too fast, and that a lot of the money it made on paper seemed not to go anywhere. Grandpa said that was all a bunch of lies, though, and Kiyotaka believed him. Grandpa would never lie, especially not to him, right? Kiyotaka reassured himself of this even when when dad and grandpa started arguing late at night about funny paperwork or something, using lots of words Kiyotaka didn't understand.

Kiyotaka was barely nine. Special government police in suits raided the house. Kiyotaka held Snowball and cried in a corner while mom and dad swore they didn't do anything. The men in the suits were looking for grandpa and couldn't find him. One of the men said that grandpa had "drained it all", something about lots and lots of money, and mom cried.

They caught grandpa eventually. They caught him at an airport, trying to leave the country. He got charged with lots of crimes that he denied, but they said they had proof and put him in jail for a very long time. The company "went under". Hundreds, maybe thousands, of people lost their jobs. Some jumped off of buildings or in front of trains because they'd lost everything. Toranosuke Ishimaru had become the most hated man in Japan overnight, responsible for "fraud" and "embezzlement" and lots of other things that sounded really bad. People on TV called him a thief and said he'd stolen millions of dollars.

The kids at school wouldn't talk to him anymore. Even his teachers seemed reluctant to be seen with him. Mom and dad pulled him out of the school and sent him to another one, but nothing changed. It was even worse there. They didn't have enough money for the big house anymore, anyway, so they sold it and moved into a small townhouse where the heat almost never worked and lots of spiders got in through the windows. Kiyotaka switched schools again, and the kids got even more mean.

Mom and dad were angry, and they didn't have much money anymore. Some smaller companies hired them both, since the policemen proved that they didn't do anything illegal, but they still had to pay lots of people, like the lawyers. Dad, especially, was mad about it. Mom and dad yelled and fought a lot. Kiyotaka would sit in his room and cry and pet Snowball, who was now his only friend in the world.

He was barely ten when mom and dad made him sit at the kitchen table and told him that it was his responsibility to fix everything. He wouldn't have time for playing or taking karate classes anymore, and they sold his calligraphy set to buy him a suit. He would be expected to get nothing but the best grades at school, and he'd have to go to cram school and study groups after school, and then he'd have to study more once he got home. No playing, even on the weekends.

At first, he took this as a challenge. He truly believed he could fix everything. He thought that if he was the best in his class, mom and dad would smile again. He thought they might start calling him _Taka_ again and giving him hugs instead of glaring at him all the time and reminding him of how expensive he was to feed, or of how expensive Snowball was. So he kept it all to himself and talked to Snowball at night.

But cats only live so long, and when he was twelve, Snowball suddenly wasn't around anymore. Mom and dad said he couldn't have another cat because they cost so much money and he didn't have time to care for one anyway, and that he also didn't have time to sulk around and cry about it because he still had to go to cram school.

He got accepted into a good middle school, then a top-of-the-line high school, then an incredible college on a full scholarship, even if they did still have to pay for books and board and some other things.

Instead of being happy for him, mom and dad said he should have gotten into a _better_ school, and that he should have gotten the board to cover _all_ of his expenses.

He never did get them to smile at him again.


	11. Not Again!

Kiyotaka yawned.

For what must have been the hundredth time that day.

The last month had been productive and more along the lines of what he was used to, because he'd managed to stretch his week-long no-Mondo streak into one that had lasted a month. The changes in his schedule had worked, so they no longer ran into one another at the gym or in the grocery store or anywhere else.

This had brought about a new problem, though. Adjusting to a whole new schedule was harder on his body than he had expected it to be. He was still young, right? He shouldn't have had so much trouble waking up in the morning just because he'd moved some things around and cut half an hour out of his sleep.

His parents had definitely noticed how tired he was at dinner. He'd gone to the Novoselic household again, where he and Sonia were grilled by both sets of parents on their dates and how serious things were getting. They'd worked all of this out beforehand, so they were able to lie convincingly. But the dinner had run late, and he'd taken a wrong turn somewhere and wasn't even halfway home. At this rate, he wouldn't be home in time for his usual bedtime.

It was getting dark. That wasn't helping him stay awake.

He fought against the fatigue. The open, empty road was strangely relaxing. Classical music hummed softly in the background, and the sky was always pretty at this time of day. The sun dipped low enough that it was mostly concealed by the horizon, turning the sky purple. Kiyotaka took in a long breath.

He'd be alright. He'd get to sleep once he got home.

But, of course, things couldn't possibly go his way, because Kiyotaka Ishimaru was the kind of person who could apparently never catch a break, not even one.

Without any kind of warning, his car screeched at him. The steering wheel jerked violently, so hard that his hands proved useless in stopping it. He fought the wheel and tried to straighten the car out, but it was like his fighting made it mad at him or something. With a final sickening lurch, it swerved off of the road. He hit the brakes in an attempt to lessen the impact. Then, _crunch_.

He'd only crashed into a street sign. He wasn't hurt, and there weren't any injured passerby. But the front of his car was _definitely_ smashed.

Kiyotaka walked around the whole of the car to survey the damage. The dent in the front was ugly, but it seemed to be contained to that area, at least. He couldn't spot anything that could have caused the malfunction.

He called up the same tow company that he'd gotten last time, not paying it much thought. He definitely wasn't thinking about Mondo, because he'd removed that delinquent from his thoughts entirely to focus on more important things, but he was sure he wouldn't run into him again anyway. He'd caught Mondo near the end of his shift last time, and it was already later than that. And that had been on a Friday. Today was a Sunday. He was sure he'd be safe.

He leaned against the car as he waited this time. It was unexpectedly chilly out. Probably the wind. He waited for thirty minutes, and then he spotted that familiar green truck. He smiled as politely as he could and walked over to the window.

Once he'd looked inside, his smile immediately vanished.

"...No. No, no, no!" _God dammit_.

He turned and took off down the road. He wasn't sure where he was running, and he was sure that he couldn't get anywhere on foot, but he was running just to offer up some form of protest at this point. The truck driver laughed incredulously and hit the gas. Even while cruising slowly along, he had no trouble keeping up. Because he was in a truck. Kiyotaka didn't want to admit to how silly that made him feel.

The driver rolled down the window.

"It's almost like ya don't like me or somethin'," he called.

"Because you're _irritating!_ And you need to learn to mind your own business!" Kiyotaka spat in reply. The driver just laughed, finding his (admittedly misguided) anger as amusing as he always did. "What are you even doing here?! It's late! It should have been a different driver!"

"Don't ya remember what my one complaint about the job was?"

Kiyotaka stopped, glaring at the ground beneath his feet with one eyebrow twitching.

"...Long and inconsistent hours?"

"That's the one."

Kiyotaka risked a careful glance at the truck window. Mondo Oowada had an arm leaning casually out of the window, the other affixed to the wheel. He grinned. Rather than the usual immodest tees and tanks, he was wearing a leather jacket. Kiyotaka scoffed at it. An actual, literal leather jacket. If anybody asked, he'd say that it made him mad because it was tacky and informal and NOT because Mondo looked really hot in it, or because one much like it had appeared in one of his shameful dreams.

He started moving down the road again. Not running this time. Marching, with his back straight and determined, his favorite boots thumping stubbornly against the asphalt. The truck continued to follow him.

"I'll get in trouble if I don't come back with ya," Mondo reminded him. He actually sounded concerned for a moment. "It also seems a little weird that you'd call the same company if ya really didn't wanna see me so bad. It's not like there's only one trucking company in Japan."

Kiyotaka's marching slowed.

"...That..."

"I think maybe ya missed me a little?"

Kiyotaka's heart skipped a beat, and his face reddened.

"I— I did nothing of the sort! That's absurd!"   
  
While he denied the accusation, it did get him to stop fleeing in favor of crossing his arms and glaring at Mondo. They stared one another down. Mondo's confident smile didn't waver. He seemed to be chewing on a toothpick for some reason. Kiyotaka glared harder, as if he was trying to send a mental ray to ward the other man off. It didn't work. Mondo shrugged, releasing Kiyotaka from the mysterious hold that his gaze held.

"Aw, c'mon," he pled, shrugging his broad shoulders, the ones that looked even broader in that stupidly sexy jacket. "Don't y'want a ride?"

_Oh, I want a RIDE, alright._

Kiyotaka bit his tongue as hard as he could without drawing blood to make sure that he did NOT, under any circumstances, say that out loud. If he said something like that, his life really would be ruined. His reputation as a law-abiding goodie-two-shoes would be, at the very least.

 _But, then again_ , he thought as he begrudgingly climbed into the passenger's seat of the truck, _it may very well already be_.


	12. Night Ride

"So, listen, Taka... If ya just tell me the truth, I won't judge ya. Do you have a drinking problem, or what?"

"I told you not to call me that!" Kiyotaka snapped. He was glaring out of the window at the quickly-darkening sky and _not_ thinking about what Mondo would look like on a motorcyle in that jacket. Or maybe in just the jacket. ... _God dammit_. "And as I already told you, _Oowada_ , the car seized up without any prompting from me. It's just a coincidence."

"Whatever ya say. ...I told ya to just call me Mondo, though."

"Why should I obey your requests if you're just going to ignore mine and call me whatever you like?!"

"But _you're_ the one who told me to call ya Taka."

"When?! I have no recollection of that!"

"Of course ya don't. Y'said the only thing you could remember was the edge of my diamond tat. ...I like _Taka_ better for ya, though. 'S cute. N' you're cute."

 _Oh_. Kiyotaka flattened, slightly, in his seat, moving his gaze forward to stare out of the windshield.

He really didn't remember much of anything about the night that they'd met. Maybe that explained why Mondo was so overly familiar, why he acted like he knew what Kiyotaka was thinking... because, perhaps, Kiyotaka had told him a great deal more about himself and his thought processes than he should have.

Deep down, he had always liked being called _Taka_ , but no one had called him that in years. Not since his parents had started hating him. So it had always felt like a strange thing to ask for. But he'd apparently asked Mondo, so... the man knew a lot more than he was letting on.

... _Wait, did he seriously just call me cute?_ Kiyotaka shook his head to dismiss that thought. He had been hearing things. Or Mondo had been making fun of him. Probably the latter, since he seemed to so enjoy getting a rise out of him. ...In more ways than one.

"...Y'gonna quit bein' grouchy now, or do I have to stop so you can take a nap?" Mondo asked. He seemed like he was only half-joking. Kiyotaka must have looked very plainly tired.

".Where are your cigarettes?" Kiyotaka asked, dodging the question. The little shelf near the ashtray was empty. Mondo smiled.

"I don't keep 'em with me on off days so I won't get tempted."

"Off days?"

"Yeah. I'm down to one every other day."

"Oh. That's... That's good. That's great, actually."

Mondo nodded, clearly proud of himself. Something was kind of endearing about that. He didn't try to dismiss the compliment, and that was fair and made sense, because he'd earned it. It was a kind of authenticity that very few people had. It was nice that he was genuinely proud of his own progress.

"When did you start wearin' glasses?"

"A-Ah." Kiyotaka took them off and put them away in his breast pocket as soon as he realized. "Just a couple of weeks ago. My eyesight is starting to go, but I don't need to wear them all the time... Just for things like reading and driving."

He couldn't help but blush. He didn't like wearing the glasses. He was already self-conscious about his eyes and his strong brow, and the frames drew even more attention to those problem features. For some reason, Mondo frowned at their absence.

"...I like 'em. They suit ya," he insisted. Kiyotaka snorted and shook his head.

"Don't bother."

Mondo snickered.

"Whatever ya say, your highness." Mondo was distracted by the glow of his phone screen, but he didn't pick it up. He gestured at Kiyotaka. "Check that message for me, will ya?"

Kiyotaka thought it was a little strange to trust a near-stranger with one's phone, but understood why a professional truck driver wouldn't want to check his messages while on the road. He opened up the screen and looked at the text message.

"...It's from a woman named Akane," he said plainly, "and she says she's ready and waiting at the garage."

"You're in luck, then," Mondo said. "Akane's the best mechanic we've got. If anybody can fix your fucked-up car, it's her."

"Is that the woman who changed my tire last time? Her contact picture looks vaguely familiar."

"The very same," Mondo confirmed. "She's a good friend. We get along great so long as I don't try'n get her to share food. We do karaoke together, n' sometimes we hit up the sports bar. ...I try not to drink too much, of course, but that place has good food and always has a game on, so it's alright. I know the bartender. He knows when to cut me off." He made a weird face for a second, like he'd said something he didn't intend to and questioned why he'd added that bit, and then changed the subject back to Akane. "It's a shame ya don't remember, but she's the one I sent with ya in the taxi. She said she had to half-drag ya up the stairs."

Kiyotaka hid his face in his hands and groaned. Chihiro _had_ said something about Mondo paying a friend to take him back to his home (and God knows what the three of them had had to go through to figure out where he lived). It was this Akane— _she_ had kept Kiyotaka company in some taxi in the middle of the night, and then she'd taken him back to his apartment, getting him safely up the stairs and down the hall and through the door. Even if she had been motivated by money, he owed her his thanks. ...If he could overcome his embarrassment and face her properly, that is.

In some effort to avoid his discomfort, Kiyotaka studied Mondo's lock screen. It was a photo of a bunch of dogs lying together on a couch— or, rather, three dogs lying on top of a bigger dog that happened to be on a couch.

When Chihiro had mentioned seeing Mondo walking his dogs in the park, Kiyotaka had assumed he had a pack of Pit Bulls, or maybe a Husky or something. Instead, Mondo appeared to have a Boxer, a Maltese, and two Chihuahuas. The three smaller dogs carelessly used their bigger Boxer sibling as a bed. He didn't seem to mind it, though.

"...You've got a whole family of dogs," he commented. Mondo's eyes lit up, and he smiled affectionately at the picture.

"Oh, that? Those are my babies."

"...Your babies?" Kiyotaka tried not to laugh, as he didn't want Mondo to get away with thinking that Kiyotaka liked talking to him.

"Mm-hm. The big guy is Tyson— get it? Boxer?— n' the fluffy one is Chuck. The bi-colored chihuahua with the eyebrows is Peanut— people tend t’think she's a boy, but she isn't— and the blonde-ish one is Phoebe. They're sisters."

Kiyotaka more closely studied each dog now that each one had a name.

Peanut looked like a stretched-out puppy with wide and paranoid eyes, but her perked-up ears and tail in mid-wag told him that she was doing alright. Even if her tail was... bent? Dented? He didn't know what word would best describe it, but it ended in a sharp twist, like a zig-zag.

Similarly, Phoebe's face was tilted. Her snout was crooked, meaning that one side of it was always open. Her tongue dangled out, and he could see one little tooth. She looked like she needed to lose a few pounds. There was a round shape to her body, and she had a couple of rolls of fat at the neck, so she didn't seem to be wearing a collar.

Chuck posed like a model and looked like he'd been taken from a magazine or something for how picturesque and perfectly groomed he was, but there was a mischievous glint in his eye. He was the leader of the pack. Kiyotaka knew this, somehow, just by looking at him.

Tyson was big, especially compared to his siblings, but he looked to be the most gentle of the group. If his eyes were any hint of his demeanor, anyway. They were big and warm and gentle, and he didn't seem bothered by having three other dogs laying on him. The tip of one of his ears was missing. Wasn't that some kind of dogfighting mark? The poor thing had probably been used for sport. But he had a loving family now, and that was the important thing.

"...Kind of a motley crew, aren't they?" Kiyotaka mused aloud. Mondo chuckled fondly.

"Well, three of 'em are shelter rescues. I had Chuck before I got the rest of 'em. We just kinda found him one day. And he wasn't chipped or anything, so we kept 'im. As for the others... Phoebe got kicked in the face, Peanut got her tail slammed in a door n' ditched when she was still just a baby, n' Tyson was taken away by the cops during some dog fightin' raid. Thankfully he hadn't seen the inside of a ring yet."

"Who injures and then abandons a puppy?!"

"You'd be surprised. ...She n' Phoebe got to the shelter at the same time, and Phoebe took her in. Maternal instincts, I guess."

"You said they were sisters."

"They are! They came as a pair!" He sighed and tried to think of how to better explain what he meant. Mondo was strangely serious about his dogs and their relationships. "...I had Chuck already, n' I got Tyson so he'd have another dog to play with. Then I went back to the shelter lookin' for a third and those two caught my eye. Shelter wouldn't let me take one without the other. ...So, yeah, they're sisters. They're always together."

Kiyotaka looked at the picture again, paying special attention to the chihuahuas. It was obvious that they hadn't come from the same litter, looking at them, but maybe that didn't really matter. They were sisters in spirit. That was just as nice.

"Anyway," Mondo continued, "those two stick together and just wanna sleep n' cuddle all day, n' Chuck bosses everybody around. He thinks he owns the place 'cuz he was there first and he's the oldest. And I think Tyson thinks he's everybody's mom? He'll tuck 'em into their blankets and everything."

"...Really?!"

"Oh, totally. Boxers are jus' oversized lapdogs."

"So, you... take care of them all? By yourself?"

Kiyotaka was unexpectedly touched. The man _did_ talk about his dogs like they were his kids. It was a sweeter, more gentle side of the man that he hadn't expected to find, and he had to admit that it was cute. Mondo shrugged.

"Well, before, it was me n' Daiya and his girlfriend, but he moved out to go Iive with her. It's been harder with the place all to myself. I keep a sitter on call. He doesn't charge me too much, though, 'cuz he thinks I'm a decent guy. I fix his car for free if he needs it and we call it even."

Kiyotaka noticed that Mondo sounded a little resentful towards Daiya's girlfriend. Maybe he didn't like her very much. It could simply have been the fact that he didn't like living alone, though, and that he blamed the woman for whisking his brother away. If he and Daiya were really so close, of course it would be hard to live apart for the first time.

Just as he'd made up his mind to ask about what Daiya was like, he spotted the repair shop in the distance. Mondo returned to work mode, leaning in as he pulled the truck into the parking lot. And Kiyotaka couldn't deny it this time: he was disappointed that the conversation had to end. He tried not to contemplate what that meant as he followed his rescuer into the building.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Pssst the dog sitter is totally Naegi. And also Peanut and Phoebe are actually my dogs irl. There shall be no chihuahua bashing in my comment section or I will personally fight you)


	13. Browari Code

Kiyotaka couldn't stand sitting in the waiting room by himself. He snuck his way into the garage area, where his poor car was was suspended on some kind of metal brace. Mondo was underneath of it, his back lying flat on one of those scooter things. Kiyotaka didn't know what they were called.

Akane, the woman they'd been talking about earlier, was standing by the side of the car with her hands on her hips and appeared to be bossing Mondo around. She was, anyway, until she spotted Kiyotaka in the distance. She caught his eye, and then she grinned and gave him a wink before shouting something at Mondo and jogging across the garage. She grabbed a brown paper bag from a nearby table on her way.

It was impossible to hear what she was saying until she was close to him. His car was not the only one being worked on, and the noise of the tools and running engines was a low roar. Everyone else seemed used to it. Kiyotaka supposed that made sense. When he'd first started his job at the IT company, he'd thought that the constant sound of clicking keyboards would drive him insane, but he now paid it little to no mind.

Akane ushered him away from the dangerous equipment. For a moment, he thought she was intending to drag him back into the waiting room, but she paused at the wall and slid down it until she was sitting on the floor. She patted the space beside her. Kiyotaka would normally protest, because he was sure the floor was dirty and would stain the seat of his pants with dust, but he felt he had little choice here.

As soon as they were both seated, Akane leaned in and spoke just loud enough to be heard over the machinery.

"So. Lil' Taka. How've you been since I last saw ya? Not runnin' into any more traffic, I hope?"

Kiyotaka's face reddened quickly enough that the color could have rivaled that of his own eyes. Akane laughed. She didn't waste any time in getting to what she wanted, at least. Maybe that was a good thing? At least she was honest.

"I-I haven't been doing any more of that, no. ...Did I really run directly into traffic? As in the path of an oncoming car?"

Akane nodded. She opened up her bag and retrieved a glass bottle of root beer, taking a long swig of it before speaking.

"You sure as hell did. I've never seen Mon run so fast."

"He _ran?_ " Kiyotaka didn't comment on the fact that she addressed the man as _Mon_. It somehow sounded like a girl's name.

"Well, of course he did! We were just talkin' about birds or somethin', and then he spotted ya out by the road and took off. He thought you were tryin' to kill yourself. Spent a good ten minutes tryin' to talk ya out of it before he realized you were just bein' drunk and stupid." She snickered, and Kiyotaka felt the blood drain from his face, absolutely mortified. "That little lady who was with ya felt awful. She'd left with the rest of your group, but came back 'cuz she was worried about ya just in time to see Mon draggin' ya back into the bar."

Kiyotaka thought over everything she had said. Once again, she'd divulged a random detail that piqued his interest more than it should have— they were talking about birds? At a sports bar?

"...Oowada... thought that I was suicidal."

Akane nodded. She stopped smiling for just a second.

"I mean, you _were_ pretty bummed about somethin'. Mon babysat ya and sent that girl away while I played some pool. ...You guys talked for, like, hours. N' you could hardly even sit up, so you were just glued to his side."

She stopped talking long enough to laugh at his expense. Kiyotaka knew she was telling the truth about that detail, considering the angle of the only image he'd successfully recalled. But what the hell had they talked about for hours? Mondo was always lecturing him about stress and his terrible job, so it must have been something along those lines. Kiyotaka really must have drunkenly rambled about how much he hated his job to some stranger. And in that time, he'd even confessed how much he wanted to get a cat and that he liked to be called _Taka_... How undignified.

"When exactly did you come in?" He asked to distract himself from that embarrassment. "He told me that he paid you to take me home."

Akane laughed again and slapped him on the back.

"Yep. I got'im to gimme twenty bucks. He woulda taken ya himself, but he'd promised the dog sitter he'd be home by a certain time and didn't have time to go on some side mission. I didn't feel like draggin' some drunk back to his apartment, so he hadta pay up!"

Kiyotaka sighed as she howled with laughter at the memory. She sat with her legs awfully far apart, he noticed, and ate her lunch rather sloppily. She really behaved more like a man than a woman. Enormous breasts aside.

"...Regardless of your motivations, I do owe you my thanks. I don't know what I would have done without the two of you looking out for me."

"Hey, man, it's no problem. You don't hafta be so formal." She studied him for a second with something searching in her gaze that Kiyotaka didn't like. Then she smirked. "...Y'know, I guess you _are_ kinda cute. Can't really blame 'im."

"I beg your pardon?!"

She didn't elaborate on that point. Kiyotaka convinced himself that he'd misunderstood her as she tried, in vain, to muffle her giggles.

"...O-Oowada is awfully fond of you," Kiyotaka managed after a minute, trying desperately to change the topic of conversation. Akane grinned at that.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yes. He describes you as his favorite coworker and a good friend of his."

"Well, I should hope so," Akane replied with a casual shrug. She'd finished her bag of potato chips and tossed them on the ground beside her before opening up a bag of pork rinds. Kiyotaka tried not to recoil from the stench of them. Was several bags of greasy and fried snacks really a lunch? "We spend, like, every weekend together."

"You enjoy spending time with him?"

"Hell yeah. Mon's really cool, n' I like hangin' out with him. ...I'd take him over any’a these _other guys_ , anyway."

"Why's that?" Kiyotaka's brow furrowed. Did she _like_ Mondo or something? There was a devious look in her eye, but then, that had been there from the moment she spotted him, so he didn't know what to make of it.

Akane grinned, and then, to Kiyotaka's horror, she gave her own breasts a quick squeeze for emphasis.

"It's nice talkin' to a guy who doesn't spend the whole night gawkin' at my tits."

Kiyotaka opened his mouth to respond, but only produced a squeak. Akane laughed harder than she ever had before and gave him a slap on the shoulder so forceful that it hurt. He was almost thankful when he heard Mondo approaching them. Even if his sullen expression didn't give the impression of good news.

"Hate to be the one to break it to ya, Taka, but your car's pretty torn up. We'll hafta keep it at least a couple of days, and that's assumin' we can fix the damn thing at all. The brakes and the steering mechanism in that thing were..." He trailed off to mull over his next words. He gave Akane a look that she seemed to understand, and she looked surprised. "...Tell me, did ya get the car cheap? A little _too_ cheap?"

Kiyotaka had been dreading this kind of conversation. He'd known the deal was too good to be true.

"...My father recommended a dealer and got me a discount. He said he knew the man who sold it to me. Why do you ask?"

Mondo hissed through his teeth at that answer. Kiyotaka would have been more annoyed with him if it wasn't for the fact that he'd removed his jacket and tied his hair all the way back and was now in nothing but a grease-stained undershirt up top, and using a small towel to wipe motor oil from his big hands. His arms and collarbone glistened with sweat and shone in the flickering fluorescent lights.

"That car is shady as fuck. I dunno any other way to put it," Mondo explained bluntly. "Halfa the parts inside are all wrong, and a lot of shit is outdated, plenty'a wires are crossed, cheap materials... Pretty sure it's a knockoff of some kind. These cars look like the real thing up front and have all the modern bells and whistles, but they're a mess on the inside. An explosion waitin' to happen."

Kiyotaka groaned and smacked his head against the wall. Akane patted his leg in silent apology. He hated his cheapskate of a father at the moment.

"Just my luck, I suppose. Thanks for trying, anyway."

Mondo cracked a little smile that only tilted up one corner of his lip. A sheepish kind of smile.

"We'll do our best, but you'll need a rental in the meantime. I checked, and there's one place still open. It's a bit of a drive, though. Ya won't get there til eleven or so."

Kiyotaka sighed and moved to retrieve his phone from his pocket.

"Guess I'll call a cab, then—"

"Nah, I'll drive ya there," Mondo insisted. "My shift ends in about a half hour anyway, and I'm sure Akane doesn't mind coverin' me. ... _Do ya_ , Akane?"

He stared the woman down. It took her an uncomfortably long time to get what he was trying to say. It seemed like she wasn't the brightest girl around. When it clicked, she shook her head.

"N-No, that's cool. I'll cover ya. You two just head on out and get that rental." She crumpled up the remains of her lunch and took them with her as she stood up, and she helped Kiyotaka stand. He waved his arms in protest as soon as he was back on his feet.

"Th-That really isn't necessary! You've done more than enough for one day!"

"A cab is gonna charge ya out the ass at this time of night," Mondo argued as he threw his jacket back on. He tossed Kiyotaka a little canvas bag containing everything that had been in his car. "N' I seriously don't mind. It's on the way t'my place anyways."

That last bit couldn't possibly be true, Kiyotaka knew, or else he wouldn't run into the man at the grocery store and the gym.

"B-But—"

Akane suddenly had a hand on his back and her other on Mondo's, and she pushed them both towards the door.

"Go. I insist. It's no problem."

She was _horrifyingly_ strong. She had Kiyotaka back outside before he knew what had hit him, and he swore he saw her high-five Mondo through the door before she slammed it shut behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PSA: AKANE IS THE BEST BRO/WINGMAN AND SHE AND MONDO MAKE A REALLY CUTE TOP TIER FRIEND DUO also I make no apologies for the chapter title


	14. Face the Facts

Kiyotaka spent the first ten minutes of the ride to the rental office in silence.

He was being, and had thus far been, unfair to Mondo, and it was beginning to make him feel awful.

Sure, he was annoyed by the interruption to his routine and Mondo's overly familiar nature, but the trucker hadn't actually done anything wrong. Mondo had helped him out several times, was always willing to offer a listening ear and friendly advice, and was nice to him and eager to see him every time they ran into one another. And how had Kiyotaka repaid that kindness? By going out of his way to reorganize his schedule just to remove him from his life.

Maybe it would be alright to be acquaintances. Friends, even. Kiyotaka had never tried being friends with someone he was attracted to before, but... maybe that would go away when he got more used to being around him. It was Mondo's fault for being so blindingly handsome in the first place. Obviously.

He thought about changing his schedule back to what it had been before. He'd get more sleep that way, and he'd probably start running into Mondo again. And maybe that was okay. It didn't have to be anything more than that. He could treat Mondo the way he'd treat anyone else, and things would be okay.

Kiyotaka decided to strike up a conversation in order to seem at least a little bit more friendly, and he happened to know just what to say.

"Fujisaki."

Mondo reacted right away. He grinned so wide that a dimple appeared in the cheek that Kiyotaka could see. Kiyotaka inhaled a sharp, irritated breath through his nose at the sight of it. Mondo just insisted on getting more attractive by the minute, even when it should have been impossible.

"So ya really do know her? I thought maybe she just recognized ya from the office that one night, since she hasn't said you're real close or anything."

"Did she _really_ just happen to run into you in the park?!"

"She did. Honest. I thought she was hittin' on me for a second because she asked me about my biceps outta nowhere." He paused to laugh, rather fondly, at the memory. Kiyotaka was amazed— apparently Mondo was really fond of Chihiro. "But I told her she was barkin' up the wrong tree, n' then she explained that she just wanted a workout buddy. ...She's in really bad shape, honestly. Must not get out much. But she's tryin', and we're gettin' there. It's actually kinda fun to train somebody."

Kiyotaka chuckled and shook his head. Imagining the two of them hanging out together was strangely amusing. Mostly the difference in size.

"She's very nice," Kiyotaka said softly. "She's the only one in the office that really gives a damn." That last bit came out more sincerely than he had meant it to. Mondo gave him a quick pat on his leg that was likely supposed to be sympathetic.

"Yeah, she's... quite a gal." He said that with a slightly odd note in his voice that Kiyotaka didn't understand. "Speakin' of your coworkers, though, have ya quit your shitty job yet?"

Kiyotaka groaned, suddenly remembering exactly what it was about this man that drove him insane.

"Won't you just drop it already?! I've got no other choice!"

"I'm only kiddin'," Mondo laughed. "Mostly, anyway. ...But tell me, why do all this shit for your parents? It's obviously makin' ya miserable."

Kiyotaka inhaled a shaky breath and frowned. Mondo's expression softened. He gave his forearm, resting on the glove compartment, a gentle squeeze, stroking it with his thumb. Kiyotaka couldn't help the way that his skin prickled. When was the last time that someone had given him a hug? He couldn't remember, but for just a moment, he really wanted Mondo to hold him. As gruff as he was, there was a distinctive softness to him that Kiyotaka hadn't missed.

"Hey, man," Mondo prodded. "You can talk about it. I won't make fun of ya or nothin'."

"Well..." Kiyotaka couldn't quite decide where to start. "I... guess I just don't know how to do anything else. I don't have any other family. And I sure as hell don't have any friends. What's going to happen to me if I just up and abandon them all of a sudden?"

Mondo studied him, as they were temporarily stopped at a red light, looking surprisingly serious.

"Guess it's not always so simple. But... frankly, from the shit ya said when you were drunk, they sound like terrible people. I dunno that they deserve so mucha your time n' devotion."

"...They weren't always like that." Kiyotaka stared at the light for the brief second that he saw its green glow, and then Mondo hit the gas once more and it blurred into the night sky. "They were really nice once. Always smiling, and really affectionate and proud of me. They just... stopped smiling at some point. I guess I've just been trying to make them happy again."

"I see. ...You just happen to love 'em."

Kiyotaka laughed joylessly and threw up one of his hands in disbelief.

"Don't sound so _surprised!_ Don't most people love their parents?!"

Mondo shrugged.

"I wouldn't know. My mom's probably dead n' my dad's in prison somewhere. I don't exactly care to visit, either." His voice was spiteful when he said that. Kiyotaka wouldn't ask him to elaborate on something like that, so he tried to change the subject somewhat. Though he did wonder why he said "probably dead"— was he not sure? Did he have no contact with her at all?

"That's... unfortunate. A-Anyway, they've been a bit less critical recently, so maybe it'll get better soon. They're not on my case about getting married anymore."

Mondo made a strange face.

"N' why is that?"

"I, uh... met a very wealthy young woman in more or less the same situation. We're fake-dating now. We've got our parents fooled."

Mondo stared at him until he could see that he was serious, and then he laughed. Kiyotaka actually laughed along with him.

Every time he and Mondo met, Kiyotaka ended up divulging something embarrassing. It wasn't like he _had to_. It just happened, somehow, because Mondo had a strange way of making him feel comfortable. Occasionally annoyed, yes, but also like he didn't have to pretend to be the man his parents wanted him to be. Mondo seemed satisfied with what he really was. Even when he was drunk.

"I was _gonna say_ ," Mondo teased, sounding oddly relieved. "I woulda been surprised if ya told me you were actually seein' some chick."

Kiyotaka stiffened as Mondo snickered.

"Wha— What does _that_ mean?!"

"Don't worry about it." Mondo cracked a wry little smile, and Kiyotaka tried to remember if he'd mentioned anything to the man about his orientation. Mondo changed the subject before he could ask. "But, well... if ya really do insist on stayin' this course and committin' to your act with this girl, ya gotta at least allow yourself some small rebellion."

"...Small rebellion?"

"Yeah. Doesn't have to be anything they find out about. Pick up a hobby or somethin', or maybe just go to a party. Start a fuckin' diary. I dunno. But you've gotta do _something_ , or your head'll explode."

"...I don't know if I can come up with something like that..."

"Hey. You're _smart_. Really, really smart. You'll think of somethin' better than anything I could."

Kiyotaka blushed at the compliment.

"I'll... think about it. I guess."

They chatted idly about whatever came to mind for the next half hour. Kiyotaka noted that Mondo's car was surprisingly practical and subdued for someone who enjoyed fixing them up in his spare time, and he laughed as he said that he needed something reliable, but wanted to customize his own car sometime in the future. Mondo got Kiyotaka to talk about his favorite books, as that was the one indulgence he sometimes allowed himself, and then insisted that he read for pleasure more often. Kiyotaka begrudgingly promised that he'd try.

Once again, he found himself disappointed when their destination arrived. Kiyotaka muttered a quick thanks as he ran out of the car and into the rental office. He apologized to the employees over and over again for swinging by so late as he signed the paperwork, but they didn't seem to mind. It looked like the kind of place that didn't get a lot of business. He was handed his keys and told that an employee would bring the car around in a minute or two, and that in the meantime, he could wait outside.

As soon as he left the building, he found himself running towards a different car instead.

"Why are you still here?!"

Mondo shrugged, dismissing Kiyotaka's protesting tone. He'd turned the car around, at least, so that he could easily exit the lot. Kiyotaka was facing the driver's side window, which he'd opened and currently had an arm resting in.

"Jus' wanted to make sure everything went alright. What if ya hadn't had enough money or left your ID behind or somethin'? You woulda been stranded here."

"...Oh. That was, um... very thoughtful of you, but—"

"N' you forgot something."

"...Eh?"

"Y'know..." Mondo leaned down into the space below the passenger's seat and held up the canvas bag he'd retrieved from there. "Your bag full of stuff?"

"R-Right." Kiyotaka took the bag, studying it for a moment, and then swallowed. There was something that he felt the need to ask. "Why, um... Why are you so nice to me, anyway?"

"Mm?"

"I-I mean, really. Why spend so much time on me? I'm not particularly good company, and I'm always on your case, and I haven't offered you any money. ...Why must you go to these lengths?"

A second passed. Mondo's carefree smile was replaced by a flat line, and then his lip curled down at one corner. He studied Kiyotaka with a disapproving and exasperated expression as he waited for the man to add something. When he didn't, Mondo sighed, letting his head hit the back of the seat.

"...You fuckin' serious?"

"Of course I am! Why would I ask if I was not serious?!"

Another short pause, and then Mondo snort-laughed rather obnoxiously, shaking his head, even if he did still look a bit perplexed. He looked Kiyotaka directly in the eye and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Have I seriously not been obvious enough for ya? I've been droppin' hints every chance I can find, been complimentin' you on your looks, been askin' a shit ton of questions and bein' pretty _blatantly_ flirtatious— fuck's a guy gotta do to get it through to ya? Do I have to whip my dick out or somethin'? Would that be _clear enough_ for ya?"

" _Oowada!_ " Kiyotaka's face turned red as he hissed the name in an admonishing tone. He looked around to make sure that no one else had heard the little tirade before turning back to face him. "Don't be so vulgar!"

Mondo laughed again. He was far too amused by all of this for Kiyotaka's liking. He contemplated his earlier words, and then he felt distinctly nervous and uncomfortable.

"S-So you're actually saying..." He couldn't finish the sentence. He didn't like to think he was dense, and he understood, in the plainest sense, what Mondo had been trying to say, but... It didn't register. Mondo sighed. The action was like the resetting of a device for him. When he next spoke, it was in an unusually calm and serious way.

" _What I'm saying_ is that I like ya. A lot. I wanna take ya out sometime, if you'd let me. ...N' I also happen to think you're pretty fuckin' hot."

"...Me?!" Kiyotaka pointed at himself, and Mondo chuckled.

"Who else is here?"

Kiyotaka wasn't sure what to say to that. It felt surreal, somehow. He'd been fantasizing about the other man and trying to keep his overwhelming lust under wraps, and now, here Mondo was, openly admitting that he'd found himself attracted to Kiyotaka. He hadn't expected for his feelings to be reciprocated at any point, and he wasn't sure how he was meant to react, so it took an embarrassingly long time for his thoughts to catch up with him.

"You're... Are you gay?!"

"...Uh, yeah," Mondo confirmed with a casual movement of his hand. "You surprised or somethin'? Or... is that bad?"

"N-No, I'm not homophobic! I just... I wouldn't have thought you were. You just don't... You don't _look_ gay, I guess."

Mondo came as close as he ever had to giggling like a schoolgirl.

"The fuck does gay look like?"

"I... I don't know! J-Just... not you!"

"Oh, _I_ see. It's 'cuz I drive a truck? Or is it the tats? I mean, if ya want me to wear a feather boa or some Gucci sunglasses or somethin', it's not gonna happen."

Kiyotaka had started to argue something else, but then he suddenly recalled Akane's words. _That_ was why Mondo never stared at her chest. He just wasn't interested in it. That was also why Mondo had told Chihiro that she was "barking up the wrong tree" when he'd thought she was flirting with him. Mondo really was gay, he supposed. He didn't want to just give in to all of this so suddenly, though, so he chose a different line of attack.

"So, basically, you've only been treating me so nicely because you want to get into my pants. _That's_ what you're saying?"

Mondo rolled his eyes.

"Yeesh. Somebody's cynical." He smiled, and this time, it wasn't teasing or flirtatious. "I said that I _like you_ , not just that I'm attracted to you. If ya wanted that, I wouldn't object, and I'm only human, but... I just like bein' with ya. I like talkin' to ya, and givin' you advice. Is that so hard to believe?"

Kiyotaka pursed his lips.

"...It is."

That response seemed to catch Mondo by surprise. He actually looked kind of sad, and he shook his head.

"I'm... sorry t'hear that, but it's true." He took a moment to recover, and then he flashed a grin. "So? What about it?"

"...Huh?"

"Are ya gonna let me take ya out, or not?"

"You're really asking?!"

"I'm really asking."

Kiyotaka bit his lip.

"I-I have a fake girlfriend already, in case you've forgotten. I can't go running around with other people."

"That's... Okay, I'll ask ya a different question. Do you like me?"

"...Mnnng!" Kiyotaka made some kind of frustrated groaning sound, his fists clenched tight at his sides. Mondo smiled. There was a gleam in his eye— he probably already knew the answer.

"Do you find _me_ attractive?"

"If my parents found out I was seeing other people, they'd have my head! Sonia would, too!"

"It's a yes or no question, Taka—"

"I-I really must be going. I'll see you later."

"Wait." Kiyotaka paused, halfway through turning around, at that command, risking a look over his shoulder at Mondo's eager face. "...I'll see ya again?"

Kiyotaka sighed heavily. He wasn't about to answer any of those other questions, and he was certain that he'd regret this, and he knew that the logical thing to do would be to cut off all contact, especially since Mondo had admitted to his beyond-the-platonic feelings, but he had been making plenty of foolish decisions recently. What was one more?

"You will," he grumbled. Mondo's face lit up. "N-Now go back home! Leave me be!"

Kiyotaka stormed off, spotting his rental car in the distance, and jumped inside and sped off as quickly as he legally could. Mondo's self-congratulatory laughter had followed him all the way there.

He was still red in the face when he got back to his apartment, and his heart was still beating too fast. He washed up and changed his clothes and threw himself in bed. It was already past his usual bedtime. And he decided, once he had calmed down and curled up within his blankets, that he _would_ change his schedule back to normal, even though it was unwise.

Because, as hard as it was for him to admit it, he had missed Mondo. And he wanted, more than anything, to see him again.


	15. Shattered Glass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops this one is sad and really anxiety-inducing and I am so sorry (especially after all the cuteness last time!)

Two more weeks passed. Kiyotaka got more sleep, and felt a bit more level-headed as a result, even if keeping Mondo nearby made him feel nervous and guilty.

Mondo would occasionally ask, again, if Kiyotaka wanted to go to dinner or a movie with him. And Kiyotaka always found some excuse to avoid the question, or would say that he didn't have the time that night, while never outright denying the man. Anyone else likely would have gotten impatient, but Mondo had apparently been telling the truth when he said that he simply liked being around Kiyotaka.

Sonia had seemed anxious during their last "date". Kiyotaka had thought that their ruse was going well, but she had been fidgety and less eager to talk about her beloved animal rescuer. She'd barely even finished her food.

He tried not to think about this as he opened up the brand-new book he'd gotten himself. Mondo's words had struck a chord with him, and he figured that his parents wouldn't object to reading as a hobby. Reading was educational and kept the mind active, after all. So a couple of books a month couldn't hurt, right?

It was sad, really, how thoroughly he had forgotten about the simple joys of relaxation. He spent two hours reading, not bothering to look over spreadsheets or work emails. The book absorbed him and transported him to another place where he didn't have to worry about quarterly figures and parental pressure.

But, of course, this paradise of calm couldn't last forever. The thin veil of quiet was shattered by his phone ringing. He had expected his parents, but saw that the call was, instead, from Sonia. The Sonia that had been acting strange when he'd seen her three days earlier.

"Hello? Has something happened?" he asked tentatively, afraid of the response.

_"I... am so terribly sorry, Kiyotaka! I have ruined everything!"_

Her voice was high-pitched and panicked, her breathing shallow. He could hear her pacing about her own room, and he imagined her wringing her fingers through her long hair.

"P-Please slow down, Sonia. I can hardly understand anything you're saying. What happened? Did your parents find out?"

_"N-Not exactly, but... I should have told you. I should have informed you from the very beginning, b-but in my home country, courtships usually take no longer than one month."_

Kiyotaka nearly fell off of his sofa. A month. _A month?!_ People were expected to enter engagements after dating for only a month?!

"Isn't that awfully fast?!"

_"I have always thought so, b-but my parents have always said that it is only because I am too modernized! A-As you are already well aware, our fraudulent courtship had lasted for nearly two months, and my parents got impatient. Th-They cornered me, saying that if I did not have a ring after all this time, they would forbid me from seeing you any longer, a-and I knew that if I allowed them to do that, they would then force me to marry that awful Byakuya, so—"_

"Slow down, please! Who's Byakuya?!"

_"Th-The Togami family! Their current heir! He is still unmarried, and with the way that that family chooses its heirs, his family wants him to wed at least one wife and begin reproducing in the near future. M-My parents have been trying to get Byakuya interested in me, but I simply cannot stand the man! He's rude and arrogant and cold-hearted, and I want absolutely nothing to do with him! I would much rather be forced to continue this charade with you for the rest of my days than go anywhere near him ever again, s-so I... I...!"_

Kiyotaka hadn't realized that things at the Nevermind household were that serious. He'd heard of the Togami corporation, of course, and he'd heard rumors about their vicious process for choosing successors. He'd thought those were only rumors, though, and Sonia was now confirming them as fact. Byakuya Togami, surely, was a wealthier and more desirable husband than Kiyotaka Ishimaru. But if Sonia, a sweet and lovely woman, said that she couldn't stand him, then that was that. He must have made for terrible company indeed.

"I understand. If you don't like him, it can't be helped. Just tell me what happened."

Sonia drew in a breath that sounded suspiciously like a sob, and Kiyotaka heard her throw herself onto her bed.

_"I... I told my parents that you asked for my hand in marriage during our last date, and that the only reason I did not have a ring was because you wanted us to pick them out for one another together and couldn't wait to propose! I-I thought that the lie would satisfy them for another couple of months and they would leave it alone, or that I could convince them that it was private engagement, but they've gone and called everyone they could think of, including your parents!"_

"Wh... What?!"

This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be real.

_"It is the truth, and I am so, SO sorry! I never meant for this to happen! I thought that the very least I could do is warn you in advance— your parents and mine wish to arrange some kind of lavish celebration. I do not yet know when they plan for this to happen, but... it would seem that we are now fake-engaged rather than fake-dating."_

For a second, Kiyotaka felt like he would explode. His heart was pounding in his chest and thrumming loudly in his ears, and he felt nervous sweat pooling on his forehead. He didn't know if he should be furious with Sonia, or with his parents, or with hers, or with himself. He didn't know what he was supposed to do and how he was supposed to do it.

But he did everything in his power to calm himself, squeezing his eyes shut, and then it didn't seem so bad. He could feign an engagement, right? No one said that they had to get married tomorrow. With Sonia's help, he could pull this off.

He had no right to be angry with her. He likely would have done the same thing in her position, and they were only in this to begin with because neither of them had the strength of will to defy their parents. And she had called to apologize and warn him. It wasn't her fault.

"I... I forgive you, Sonia. I know you didn't want it to get this far, a-and I appreciate your warning." He huffed in a deep breath, allowing confidence to fill up his lungs. "If... If you would be willing to work with me... we can do this. We can fool everyone, and when their backs are turned, you can run away."

Sonia's sobs stopped, and she sniffled a few times.

_"...You... would do that for me?"_

She sounded touched. Kiyotaka nodded, which was useless, considering the fact that she couldn't see him.

"I... I would. You're the closest thing I've had to a friend in quite some time."

Sonia let out a loud, heaving sob at that and cried out her thanks over and over again. He told her not to worry about it and to get herself cleaned up, and then they ended the conversation. It wasn't ideal, but Kiyotaka could handle it.

His parents called minutes later and invited themselves over to his apartment. He ran about like a madman, scrubbing and cleaning and hiding anything that suggested fun or hobbies or a social life. Even so, his mother seemed displeased by the state of the place when her eyes first took it in. There was no satisfying her standards, it seemed.

Takaaki opened a bottle of champagne. Satsuki set out the flowers she'd brought. And then, for the first time in at least four years, they smiled at him. For the first time in a decade, they told him that they were proud of him. It took everything that Kiyotaka had in him not to cry frustrated tears, because his heart had leapt for joy while his stomach sank low and felt heavy.

He'd wanted this for so long, so why couldn't he just enjoy it?

Why did this have to be so hard?

Despite everything, he managed a peaceful sleep. He had to keep a level head if he was going to continue to pull off this fabricated engagement, but it wasn't the end of the world. He and Sonia could buy themselves more time if they went about it the right way. He woke up at the usual scheduled time and got to work in a timely manner, heading straight to his desk and returning to his previous assignments.

His shift was nearly over when one of his many superiors, the man who supervised their floor, got everyone's attention. Kiyotaka stood, feeling strangely apprehensive, as he and his coworkers gathered in the break room. Chihiro gave his hand a quick squeeze as she stood behind him.

"So... I'm sure we're all wondering who's going to get Ichijou's office and his old job. Many of you have been working very hard to try and snag that promotion. The job comes with a generous six-figure salary and plenty of vacation time, and that office— I'll tell you, it's nice. The view is to die for." He left a pause, in which everyone forced their awkward work laughter, even though the statement had _barely_ qualified as a joke. "...Well. Nothing is _official_ yet. We all know how these things work. Our new supervisor won't get to start the job until about a month from now, but... I've got a name. We know who's getting promoted!"

Whispers and cheers of approval and excitement spread like wildfire. Kiyotaka tensed. He'd been working towards this very promotion for months now, and his parents wanted him to get it, but he was certain that this kind of a role would go to someone older. Hopefully his parents would still be so happy about his engagement that they wouldn't be too angry. He could think of any number of reasonable excuses for being passed up, and—

"Congratulations, Ishimaru-san. Your work ethic has not gone unnoticed. You got the job!"

There was a loud crash of sound around him, and several people jostled his shoulder in a playful manner. Someone ruffled his hair. He heard clapping and his own name, over and over. It should have been a joyful moment. Everybody else was happy.

Kiyotaka felt like the walls were closing in on him. He stood shock-still, eyes wide, and the floor manager laughed, telling someone else that he was probably just too surprised to react.

It took at least an hour to get away from everyone. He had been on auto-pilot the whole time, mostly unaware of his surroundings. People laughed fondly at him, saying he was very humble and that the realization would catch up with him when he got home and called his family. He also got plenty of glares and muttered insults from older coworkers who thought that _some kid_ had no business earning that kind of money. People asked him what the first thing he would buy with that first enormous paycheck would be.

All that he could think about was the terror and panic rising in his gut.

He tried to clear his mind once he reached the safety of the bathroom, studying his pallid face in the mirror. He had to think about something else, anything else. And for some stupid reason, the first thing that came to mind was _Mondo_. This only made it worse.

He hadn't managed to calm down by the time he got back home. He knew he'd have to call his parents and give them the great news. Sonia should probably know, too. He couldn't breathe. His limbs felt heavy. He couldn't make any phone calls like this.

After having a glass of water, he was able to identify the source of the feeling: he was trapped. Completely and definitely. One of the only things that had ever given him any relief was the knowledge that he could, in the loosest sense of the word, quit his job if he wanted to. He wasn't an integral part of the machine, and he could find a similarly good salary elsewhere if he looked hard enough.

But now he was set to become a big shot. He was seen as indispensable to the company, enough so that they'd chosen him over older people who'd been with them longer and had a longer list of accomplishments. His workload would surely increase, and he would have to work even longer hours and attend company meetings and tune in for conference calls.

More work. _More work_. Kiyotaka couldn't stop thinking about the three days he'd spent hospitalized when he was in college because he'd collapsed from overwork and malnutrition, only for his parents to visit him with his textbooks and remind him not to fall behind on his studies. He remembered how the IV felt and how lonely that little room had been and how badly he'd wanted to cry only to find that he couldn't seem to produce any tears, as if his body had been desperately hoarding any water it could find and refused to waste it on needless things like relief and emotion. He remembered feeling so fatigued for the next week that he could barely keep his eyes open and getting an A- on his practice exam. He remembered his mother yelling at him through his dorm room door for two hours.

That dark place, surely, was where he was headed once more.

The comforting escape door— one that could have, in a better world, led to the life of a teacher spent in the company of a mischevious but fascinating trucker— had been shut and bolted, and all that he could do was scream. Kiyotaka screamed and picked up the empty glass and threw it at the far wall, where it shattered and spilled glass all over his floor. He did the same to another, and then another, shouting and crying and trying to do something, _anything_ to release the anger and terror trapped in his gut.

It wasn't enough. He fled to his bathroom and threw up. 


	16. Brotherly Business

"Are you sure you're alright? You look kind of tired."

"O-Oh, I'm... I'm alright. It's just that so much happened yesterday... I stayed up late celebrating and had difficulty going to sleep."

"If you say so."

Chihiro returned her attention to her food. Kiyotaka was glad to have her piercing eyes off of him.

He had managed to calm down (externally) after his little tirade the previous afternoon. Cleaning up all of the broken glass had been a hassle, but he'd done it without complaining and then called Sonia and his family. They all seemed happy for him. There were a bunch of cards on his desk when he got to the office the next morning, and even some flowers. People were suddenly eager to talk to him and ask him how he was doing.

Then, Chihiro had invited him out for lunch again. She looked very concerned. His reaction the day before must have struck her as strange, and he recalled that the last time they'd met like this, he'd told her that he didn't really like the IT field. To her, perhaps, his reaction had made sense, and that was exactly the source of her worry.

Kiyotaka thought, in a more clear frame of mind, as he chewed his sandwich. For whatever reason, he'd seen flashes of Mondo in his head many times the day before. So he thought about that strange man and his comforting advice, and he remembered what he'd said about allowing himself some small rebellions. Maybe doing something for himself would help alleviate his distress. Then he could focus on what had to be done and avoid any more tantrums (and, hopefully, avoid any more hospital visits).

"Hey, Fujisaki-chan?" She looked up at him. "What would you describe as a small rebellion?"

"...I'm not sure I understand the question."

He sighed before explaining a bit more clearly. She bit her lip and looked up to one side as she thought.

"Hmm... The only thing that I can think of is a tattoo or a piercing in a place where no one else can see it. That way the only person who would know is you, but it's still kind of a rebellious thing to do. Right? I have a special binary code tattooed on my ankle that I got in college. It's very small, but it was still a really exhilarating experience!"

That... wasn't a bad idea, actually. Kiyotaka knew very little about tattoos and had never thought about getting one before, but the thought sent a thrill down his spine. Maybe he could feel like a bad boy for a few hours. It was especially appropriate considering, well, _Mondo_. He was the one that had inspired all of this, and he was covered in tattoos. It was perfect.

"...I might just go ahead and do that. It's a wonderful idea! I'm not sure what to get, but I do have an idea for where I'd put it. Do you happen to know of a good place?"

She tilted her head to one side and smiled.

"As a matter of fact, I do! When Oowada-kun and I were at the gym, somebody asked him where he got his sleeves done. I can go ahead and write it down for you, if you want..."

And that was how Kiyotaka had ended up in the sitting area of a tattoo parlor, alone and still in his work clothes, at four in the afternoon. He donned his glasses and read through a magazine as he waited.

Scheduling a walk-in appointment had been easy, and the peppy girl behind the counter had assured him that his uncertainly about what to get was no big deal. They got that sort of thing all the time, she said. If he really couldn't think of anything at all, they had a book of ideas that he could look through. And since he wanted something small, it wouldn't be expensive, either. Kiyotaka had made sure to bring cash with him to tip the artist with.

It was a rather small establishment. There only seemed to be three people working. The girl who'd greeted him was in charge of dying and styling hair, and her unusual horned and multicolored hairstyle was a testament to her skill. There was also a lanky redhead in charge of a piercing station. The tattoo artist was the third employee, and was currently working on the sleeve of a pink-haired man happily chatting away in the seat. The place was less of a tattoo parlor and more like a one-stop appearance shop for all things alternative and punk rock— exactly the kind of place that Kiyotaka would normally steer a thousand miles clear of. But here he was, about to make what would surely be one of the most reckless decisions he would ever make.

Still, he couldn't let himself turn back now.

Kiyotaka eyed the tattoo artist, trying to catch a glimpse of his face with no success. He was too focused on his work. He could see that he was a large man, though, perhaps even bigger and broader than Mondo, with fluffy jet-black hair that he kept slicked back. He wore a black tank top that showed off his own collection of tattoos. Which made sense. Like the hair-dye girl and the piercing guy, he probably wanted to give off the impression of someone who actually knew what he was talking about. Kiyotaka would probably feel nervous getting his first tattoo from someone who didn't have any.

Somehow, Kiyotaka kept running into motorcycle ads in the magazines. Which made it especially difficult to get Mondo off of his mind, seeing as the man had once been in a biker gang. He sighed and threw down the one he was reading in search of another, hoping to find _something_ with a decent political piece. This didn't seem to be that type of reading material... mostly pictures of scantily clad women. Another thing that didn't appeal to him in the slightest.

He knew that he had to keep Mondo at an arm's length. He'd so recently decided to let the man into his life somewhat, only to have to tighten the leash so soon afterwards, and he didn't like how that felt, but he had no choice. If Mondo got any closer to him, Kiyotaka would surely mess things up. So he wouldn't avoid the man outright, but he _would_ have to let him down gently at some point. He wasn't looking forward to that conversation.

This tattoo would be his last tribute to the man's futile attempts to save him from his miserable life. It had been nice while it lasted. He had no choice but to admit that much.

"It's almost your turn, glasses!" the girl called. Her client was still waiting for the product to settle into her hair, leaving her with little to do but sit on the countertop and chat with the piercing guy. Kiyotaka looked up and pointed at himself to confirm that she was, in fact, speaking to him. "Have you decided what you want yet?!"

"I... think I'll leave that up to him," Kiyotaka replied shyly. This girl was kind of overwhelming. "It can be a surprise. ...So long as it's nothing vulgar."

"Ooooh, how exciting! Ibuki's getting thirty-one flavors of stoked!"

Kiyotaka didn't know what that was supposed to mean. At least he knew what her name was. He set his magazine down and wandered over to stand near the counter, confirming that the pink-haired guy was standing up.

"Clean it, keep it covered, yadda-yadda. Y'know the fuckin' drill by now," the tattoo artist grumbled, waving a hand. The pink-haired man laughed and threw a few bills into his tip jar.

"Thanks, man! I can't wait 'til the full sleeve is finished. I'm sure you'll come up with something great." He started to walk away, winking at Kiyotaka, before freezing in his tracks and turning back around. "Before I go— is Mondo around?"

Kiyotaka stopped breathing. His blood was about to boil. This couldn't possibly be happening. Maybe he meant a different Mondo...? The pink-haired guy was grinning, flashing his oddly sharp teeth.

"Mm? Mondo? ...Nah, he's in the truck right now. Kinda last minute, so my gal's watchin' his dogs for him. Dunno when he turned inta such a workin' stiff."

The tattoo artist looked up and laughed a deep, booming laugh, and then the resemblance was plainly and immediately obvious. _That_ was why Mondo had so many tattoos from this particular place— because he probably got a discount.

_The little brother discount._

Daiya Oowada. His eyes were an icy blue rather than the odd purple color that Mondo's were, but the shape and the thick black eyelashes were exactly the same, along with the long and thin brow and the strong jaw. Daiya was also paler and bigger, and he kept his hair shorter and unbleached, and it wasn't curly like Mondo's was. But one could easily tell, just by looking, that they were brothers. It was in the eyes, mostly.

What were the odds of running into him here?!

Daiya grinned, waving the pink-haired man a goodbye, and then gestured at Kiyotaka to have a seat. Kiyotaka froze. Ibuki shoved him from behind. Daiya had the same devious smile as his brother— hell, maybe Mondo had learned it from him and it was only an imitation.

He was cornered. There was no way out now.

_Oh, fuck my entire life._


	17. Tramp Stamped

Kiyotaka couldn't withdraw from his appointment just because he'd realized his own stupid mistake, so he allowed the staff members to (almost forcibly) sit him down in the special tattoo chair. He was beginning to realize, just then, how big of a decision he was making. Tattoos were permanent. He swallowed, and his throat felt swollen and dry.

"Soooo..." Ibuki's eyes ran down some kind of list on the clipboard in her hands. "Your name?"

Kiyotaka lowered his head, trying to conceal how embarrassed he was.

"...Ishimaru."

"Your _full_ name," Daiya corrected. Kiyotaka was reminded of the time that Mondo had demanded his first name at the noodle restaurant. Even their voices and speech patterns were similar. Daiya's voice was deeper, possibly just because he was older. Did they both smoke? He didn't smell like nicotine. ...Well, Mondo didn't, either.

"Kiyotaka," he grumbled. "Kiyotaka Ishimaru."

Ibuki scribbled something down. Daiya didn't say anything. When the drawn-out silence became awkward, Kiyotaka looked up and found Daiya staring at him, taking in every detail of his appearance, looking both surprised and very, _very_ curious.

"...Really? Y'don't say..."

"Y-Yes!" Kiyotaka stiffened and felt his face going red. Daiya's eyes were like Mondo's in the way that they felt strangely invasive. They were equally intense. "What, is it a strange name or someth—"

He trailed off. Even he (the guy who had been dense enough to miss how blatantly Mondo had been hitting on him) had a vague idea of what was going on here. Daiya had flashed Ibuki some kind of signal, and now they both seemed very interested in him. Mostly his face. Ibuki was uncomfortably close to him, her eyes wide and eager.

Mondo had said, the first time they'd talked at the restaurant, that he told his older brother _everything_ , and maybe he'd really meant that. Maybe he'd called his brother up and told him all about the guy he was so fixated on.

"Or... have you perhaps heard my name before?" Kiyotaka asked accusingly. Daiya flinched. _Bingo_.

"Pffft— what?! No! Of course not! I jus' thought it was kinda fancy, is all."

Daiya Oowada may have been a good brother, but he was a pretty terrible liar. A much more reasonable excuse would be his grandfather— plenty of people recognized the Ishimaru name due to that scandal, and the surname had earned Kiyotaka no small amount of dirty looks. It wasn't as frequent of an occurrence anymore, but still.

Daiya quickly got to work organizing his tools, trying a little too hard to look busy, and gave Ibuki a wink She started asking a bunch of questions so fast that Kiyotaka could barely understand her. The piercing guy, who had been watching a baseball game on the small TV affixed to the wall, was suddenly intrigued, and he raised an eyebrow at Daiya. Daiya flashed another signal. The piercing guy didn't seem to get it just yet.

"So what made you decide to get a tattoo? Have you decided on what you want? How old are you? Where do you work? When is your birthday? What's your sign? What's your favorite animal? What's your favorite food? Do you like music?! What's your—"

"Mioda! Girl! You've gotta give the man some time to answer!" the redhead called out. Daiya casually flipped him off.

"Nobody's talkin' to you, Leon!"

The redhead, apparently named Leon, crossed his arms. He looked more amused than angry at the interruption. Ibuki did stop asking questions, though, and Kiyotaka tried to remember all of them. She seemed determined to get answers.

"...I... just wanted to try doing something a little rebellious. A small tattoo seemed reasonable. I-I still don't have any idea what to get, though..."

"Oh, we've got a book for that. Mioda can—"

Ibuki threw a hairbrush at Leon. Her client laughed before going back to pretending that she wasn't eavesdropping. Daiya shot him a glare, and then he flashed a wicked grin at Kiyotaka as he pulled the cap off of a marker.

"How 'bout I surprise ya? I have somethin' in mind that seems perfect for ya. ...C'mere, Ibuki. I'll sketch it for ya. You can tell me if ya think it's a good idea."

Kiyotaka chewed on his lip as the two of them huddled over the work table. Whatever Daiya had sketched, Ibuki thought it was _delightful_ and had difficulty containing her giggles and squeals. Kiyotaka couldn't seem to work up the nerve to stop their schemes, to insist on picking something out of the book. It was likely because he'd already told Ibuki that he might let the artist pick something, and he didn't want to disappoint her. She was overwhelming, but she somehow seemed like a very nice person anyway.

The team agreed on the design. Leon glanced at it and raised a suspicious eyebrow again, but didn't give it away. Daiya offered Kiyotaka another grin.

"N' where were ya thinkin' of gettin' it?"

Kiyotaka gulped. He'd already decided on the spot, and he couldn't think of any better place (he'd run the risk of someone seeing it if he put it elsewhere, if he were to go swimming or something). But he hadn't expected this situation, and now, it was highly embarrassing. The trio stared in anticipation as Kiyotaka slowly stood up.

His face went bright red. He looked down at the floor. And then he patted his hip.

"...Right here," he mumbled. "My hip. It'll always be concealed by my pants that way. The only way someone would see it is if they had me... you know. Naked."

Kiyotaka looked back up, and he swiftly regretted that move. He _did not_ like Daiya's expression.

"What an incredible idea, Kiyoyo!" Ibuki squealed. Kiyotaka frowned at the weird nickname she'd decided to give him. He also realized, just then, that he'd have to pull his pants down.

Daiya warned him that the placement would likely hurt quite a bit, as the flesh over the hip bone was often quite tender. But since it was a small symbol, he was sure Kiyotaka would be just fine. Kiyotaka grit his teeth as he awkwardly adjusted his pants. Ibuki gave him an apron to cover himself with, so he at least didn't have to worry about flashing anyone. He hadn't been able to stay seated. The chair adjusted into some kind of flat bed, and he was now lying helplessly across it, his fate sealed.

Ibuki got a little too close to his face again. He felt like a laboratory sample, especially with the bright lights right above him.

"You didn't answer my other questions."

No, not a laboratory sample— this was like a police interrogation. Daiya and Ibuki were staring him down. He gulped.

"I-I don't even remember what they were!"

She easily remembered them and rattled them off like it was nothing. He did his best to answer them while the trio of workers studied him. Leon still wasn't quite catching up to what Ibuki and Daiya were scheming.

Daiya started tracing the design onto Kiyotaka's skin as Ibuki finished up with her client and sent her off. The process wasn't quite as awkward as he had thought it would be, because the man was clearly a professional who didn't think much of it. He wouldn't let Kiyotaka catch a glimpse of the design and intentionally blocked it with his arm. Kiyotaka glared at him. He was going to reverse this interrogation.

"...So you're Daiya Oowada, right?"

"Yeah. That's what the business card says. Why d'ya ask?"

"Because I think that I just so happen to know your brother. ...You know. Mondo?" Referring to him by his first name felt a little strange, even if that's how Kiyotaka had been addressing him in his head.

Daiya feigned shock. He was trying way too hard.

"What?! My little bro?! You don't say!"

"Whaaaaaaaat?! _You_ know _Mondo?!_ " Ibuki, too, was a less than stellar actress. Kiyotaka rolled his eyes and caught a glimpse of Leon squinting at him, his head tilted to one side.

"I... do... He's a, um. Friend? I suppose?"

"...You _suppose_ , huh?" Leon repeated, stroking his beard. He was starting to get it. Slowly but surely.

"It's... kind of a long story. He did me a favor a while back, and ever since then, we seem to keep running into one another. He's towed my car a couple of times. He's very, uh... _forward_."

Daiya concealed a chuckle at that. He knew damn well what his brother was like. He knew what Kiyotaka meant.

"What kind of favor are we talkin' about?" Leon asked. Kiyotaka groaned.

"I... I got very drunk, and Mondo kept me from running into traffic and got me home safely. It's embarrassing, but that's what happened."

Kiyotaka saw the realization hit Leon. He may have been a bit dense, and maybe he hadn't heard Kiyotaka's name or a proper description, but he _had_ , apparently, heard _that_ story. Kiyotaka wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. He was now outnumbered three to one, and Leon wandered over, a plotting smile on his face.

"Hey, I heard about that! He hadta pay Owari to take you home, right?" Leon remembered aloud. Kiyotaka nodded. His face was turning a bit pink. Ibuki clearly noticed that.

For the next few minutes, as Daiya prepared his newly-sanitized tools, Ibuki and Leon asked questions and told stories. Kiyotaka was admittedly grateful that they were distracting him from his nervousness about the needle, but he had a feeling that their motives were twofold. Ibuki kept telling really nice stories about the time that Mondo had helped her move to her new apartment, or about the time he'd stopped some robbery-in-progress, while Leon asked questions about Kiyotaka's history with the man (while Daiya pretended that he hadn't already heard it all). It was nice, he supposed, that Mondo had such a supportive group of friends... Friends that would so plainly try to talk him up.

"Yeah, the group of us, we all hang out n’ support each other. You remember pink-hair from earlier?" Leon asked. Kiyotaka hissed, as the needle touched his bare skin for the first time just then, but tried to ignore it. Daiya made some kind of clicking noise at him that was weirdly soothing.

"I do," Kiyotaka answered through his teeth. He had to raise his voice a little to be heard above the noise of Daiya working. "He was a bit difficult to miss, I'd say."

Leon laughed.

"Yeah, that was Souda. He's a friend of mine. But he and Mondo are friends now, too, all because'a this place. They're both into tattoos n' fixing cars. They work together on projects sometimes, or sell each other parts... This is a nice place to work. Y'meet all kinds of interesting people."

"But Mondo doesn't work here!"

"He don't have to. _I_ do," Daiya explained. "So he's here all the time, hangin' with me. I started this fuckin' business and I live right upstairs. ...That's really the only reason he's so tatted up. He lets me use him as a canvas."

Kiyotaka couldn't help but giggle. It was a strangely innocent reason. People often gave Mondo disapproving looks in the grocery store lines, likely assuming that the tattoos were a prison thing, or maybe a gang thing. That's what Kiyotaka had thought at first. But, no... He was just a walking artistic experiment for his brother's sake. Actually, Kiyotaka could see down Daiya's shirt, confirming that he had a tattoo just like Mondo's gang crest in the exact same spot. Matching tattoos for the former leaders of a fearsome biker gang.

"He's let me give him a few piercings, too," Leon added, furthering the point that Mondo's appearance was kind of misleading. Kiyotaka did recall seeing some kind of metal bar in the upper part of one of Mondo's ears.

"And Ibuki does his hair! It's _very soft_ ," Ibuki sang, standing with her hands proudly on her hips. She must have been referring to the bleached portion. Kiyotaka scoffed. Did they think of Mondo as some kind of promotional billboard?!

"He's been bleachin' it since middle school," Daiya quietly muttered. Like he'd read Kiyotaka's mind. "N' he wouldn't just let us do whatever the fuck we wanted if he didn't like it _at all_ , now, would he? The man's an adult."

A minute of silence. Daiya rounded some sort of corner with the needle, hitting more tender flesh, and Kiyotaka tried not to flinch. Ibuki held his hand and allowed him to squeeze it. "Breathe through the pain," she coaxed.

"...You know, he's... not so bad," Kiyotaka finally mumbled. Daiya seemed especially happy to hear that. "A little rough around the edges, and very blunt, but... he's also really kind at heart."

"I should fuckin' hope so," Daiya retorted. "I mean, I pretty much raised the brat. 'S not a good reflection on me if he's an asshole."

Kiyotaka's brow furrowed.

" _You_ raised him?"

Daiya shrugged.

"That's what I said. ...Don't worry about it. Long story."

Ibuki and Leon got distracted as a couple more customers arrived. Daiya assured Kiyotaka that he was almost done, that the design was being filled in now and the worst part was over. And then, when he was sure that the other two couldn't hear him, Daiya leaned close to Kiyotaka's ear.

"Mondo's a good kid. ...Actually, scratch that. He's a good _man_. We've both been through hell n' back, but he's seen some shit I didn't have to. Ya wouldn't know it jus' by lookin'. I honestly don't know how he's handled it the way he has, and god knows I didn't fuckin' protect him from it all like I was supposed to. I hafta think about that every day, but y'know what? He insists to this goddamn day that I've never failed him, n' that he knows I did the best I could under the circumstances. I... I can act all big n' tough all I want, but at the end of the day, _I'm_ the one who's lucky t'have _him_. Not the other way around. If he says otherwise, he's wrong."

Daiya's voice was quiet, calm, and very, very serious. Kiyotaka had no idea what he was talking about beyond the slightest of inklings. His eyes widened slightly.

"I'm... not sure that I understand what you mean."

" _All I'm sayin'_ is that my brother is a fuckin' catch. Do with that what you will."

He slapped the work table a couple of times. Ibuki ran over like she'd been summoned, and the needle stopped buzzing.

"It's done?! It's done?!" she chanted. Leon told his clients to wait a moment and ran to Ibuki's side. Daiya nodded and let them see it, though he still blocked Kiyotaka's view.

"All finished. Whaddya think?"

Daiya's comrades voiced their approval of the brand-new tattoo. He grinned, and before Kiyotaka could see it, he cleaned the area again and then slapped some kind of bandage over it that he taped down. He started rattling off instructions about how to keep it clean and avoid an infection. Something about flaking and redness, and about how the bandage should stay on until the itching subsides so he wouldn't be tempted to scratch it.

"You can look at it as soon as ya get home," Daiya assured him. "The bandage ain't necessary. Just a precaution. Ibuki'll give ya a skin bandage— you can see through it, but it keeps ya from scratchin'. Take care, kid."

He gave a weird salute. Kiyotaka paid, took the items that Ibuki handed him, and then wandered to the door. He looked back at them, uncertain. Ibuki told him to come back again sometime— if not to get another tattoo, then just to visit. "We can talk about Mondo some more," Leon added with a wink. Kiyotaka left soon after that. He didn't know what the weird, empty feeling in his chest was.

The curiosity nearly killed him for the entire duration of his drive home. He ran up the stairs rather than waiting for the elevator and launched himself into his apartment. He flew to the bathroom and stood atop a stool so that he could get a better look at the image in the mirror. He held his breath, counted to three, and removed the bandage.

He didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or scream. Because he hadn't just gotten a tattoo that day— he'd been _branded_.

Daiya Oowada had tattooed a diamond on his hip.


	18. In for the Long Haul

Both Kiyotaka and Sonia had hoped that their parents could keep the alleged engagement quiet. This, of course, was wishful thinking. They were both required to attend a grand engagement party at the Novoselic household only a week after the accidental announcement, where they were showered with food and wine and expensive gifts.

Takaaki had mentioned the engagement to Kiyotaka's boss when he'd stopped by to deliver the surprise present of a very nice silk tie, and now, his whole office knew. Most of his coworkers acted supportive. Chihiro seemed to know that something was wrong there. She didn't voice those concerns aloud, but she'd asked to eat lunch with him every day since then.

Sonia, in the meantime, had been fielding visits from relatives and family friends that she had not seen in ages. Novoselic's matrimonial traditions were numerous and strange. She'd said something about having to capture a weird animal that he'd never heard of. And companies were already contacting her, begging her to wear one of their wedding dresses or to have the ceremony at their venue. They'd hardly waited a day.

Kiyotaka and Sonia both knew what all of this meant. They were in too deep to back out. How could they tell the truth about their little scam after being treated so generously? And after the news had somehow reached the papers and local TV stations, even if Kiyotaka himself hadn't been mentioned by name?

He and Sonia had spent an entire night on the phone, discussing how far they would have to carry this lie. They'd reached a mutual decision. They'd go through with the engagement and the wedding and the marriage, carrying the ruse as far as it could possibly go, until they found some excuse for a divorce. Kiyotaka couldn't pretend to be happy about it, but they had little choice.

At the very least, Kiyotaka wouldn't mind living with Sonia, and a marriage could potentially make his parents treat him a little more nicely. To cheer themselves up, he and Sonia had talked about the things they would _actually_ do in their shared home when everyone else thought they were romancing one another. Sonia suggested buying a home where Kiyotaka could have a secret library, and finally allowing him to adopt a cat, as she would take the credit for it and pretend it was hers. Kiyotaka promised that he'd let her screen as many horror movies and cheesy teen flicks as she wanted in their secret theatre. Sonia promised to hire housekeepers and a personal chef so that Kiyotaka would get to use all of what little free time he'd get from work on himself rather than household chores.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe he'd learn to ignore the little voice in the back of his head that kept telling him to crash his new car just so he'd have an excuse to call for a tow truck again.

He shook his head and tried to focus on his surroundings. The party was now in full swing. Kiyotaka tried not to groan and swirled his wine glass around. Takaaki was bragging about his son to anybody who would listen, as if he'd bothered to actually compliment Kiyotaka on anything in the last decade or so. He was clearly using the party as an attempt to schmooze and meet potential business partners, and he was trying so hard that it was painful for Kiyotaka to watch. Satsuki, meanwhile, stood in a corner with a group of well-dressed women drinking martinis, and they gossiped about anyone who came through the front door.

Just as he began to contemplate escaping the oppressive atmosphere through a window, his phone buzzed. He glanced at the text message as discreetly as he could. The signal. He snuck away from the crowd and followed the familiar path to the rose garden. Sonia waited there for him on the bench and greeted him with a tired smile.

"Some party, huh?" He said bitterly. Sonia nodded. "I've never seen so many rich people in one room before."

"You will find that the wealthy make for terrible company. It seems like all that they ever want to talk about are boats and cars and the expensive painting they just bought for their study," Sonia muttered. "My interests are frowned upon, and I am certain that no one in that room cares about animals."

"I _did_ see a few fur coats," Kiyotaka agreed. He was afraid to ask this question, but he did want to know. "Did you... Did you tell him? Your animal man."

Sonia frowned.

"That is what I wished to tell you. I did. I... confessed my romantic feelings to him a short while ago, and yet I met with him last night to explain that I could not see him anymore. I-I told him that I would gladly keep him by my side as a friend until all of this is over, and that we could continue to communicate in secrecy, but... he is having difficulty understanding. He cannot understand why I would marry someone that I do not love."

"I... can't really blame the man," Kiyotaka admitted. "Going from such an emotional high to such an emotional low so quickly is hard on anyone."

"I-I do not wish to cut my ties with him, but if he insists on making this even more difficult for me than it already is, I... I may have no choice."

"Don't say that! I'm sure that you can think of something to keep him at bay." Kiyotaka's heart hurt for her. The other man's anger was sensible, but it wasn't what Sonia needed right now. He sighed. "...We're actually doing this, aren't we?"

"I suppose so." She looked at Kiyotaka and seemed bothered by his glum expression. She sat up straighter. "If it is any consolation, I have a plan for the divorce!"

"...Already?!" Kiyotaka had to admit that he was intrigued. Sonia nodded proudly. There was an odd gleam in her eye.

"Yes. Here is the plan— we get married in a very lavish, grand ceremony. You are clearly stressed out by my demanding nature, as I want everything to be perfect. We move to a big house by the ocean, and within months, I begin to spend as if it is going out of style! I am a woefully selfish diva who wants nothing more than to spend all that you earn while keeping my fortune to myself. I spend your entire month's earnings on a tea party for myself and my friends, and then, you explode! You demand a divorce. And all of this occurs in only a year and six months!"

Sonia struck a dramatic pose. Kiyotaka felt like her eyes were literally sparkling. He stared at her, stunned, until he could form a response.

"That's... something straight out of a weekday drama." It was corny and a bit over-the-top, but it still told him that Sonia was willing to take all of the blame for the divorce. There was something noble in that.

"But of course!" Sonia agreed. "It is where I got the idea!"

Sonia hadn't struck Kiyotaka as the type to watch dramas, but she was a woman full of surprises. He still vividly remembered how shocked he'd been when she had casually mentioned her interest in the occult during their third fake date.

"That sounds like a plan, Sonia." He was suddenly reminded of his recent impulse decision. He stood up, and Sonia raised an eyebrow at him. "I've decided to allow myself some small rebellions, though! We'll both have to if we're going to pull this one off without dying of the stress. I—"

"Kiyotaka, aren't you gay?! Besides, I would not do such a vulgar thing while there is a party going on!"

"...What?" Kiyotaka paused halfway through trying to pull his pants down just enough to expose the tattoo. His face blanched when he realized what she was thinking. "Oh, _God_ — that's not what I'm doing! I was just trying to... Just look, okay?!"

She studied him with a disapproving expression until he successfully exposed the emblem, and then she grinned and clapped her hands together. She, too, stood up, partly to get a better look at it.

"A tattoo! How delightful! I especially like the placement!" She winked. Kiyotaka blushed. It _was_ a bit flirty-looking. "But why a diamond, if you do not mind my asking?"

His blush darkened further.

"...It's... kind of a long story, and I didn't actually ask for it, but... I think it's appropriate. It's sort of a tribute to, um. A certain man."

Sonia raised an eyebrow.

"A man? ...Kiyotaka, have you been seeing someone as well?"

"N-No! ...Not exactly. It's difficult to explain."

Sonia could clearly see that he was hiding something. She giggled, and then, to Kiyotaka's surprise, she moved to lift up her frilly skirt.

"It is an extraordinary coincidence, really... I, too, got a tattoo! I have always wanted one, but my parents forbade it. Exposing one's thighs is seen as very promiscuous in my country, and so I never do it. I chose to get my own tattoo in secret, and to get it here, on my thigh, where I can easily avoid prying eyes," she explained, moving her stocking down enough to expose the ink.

Some kind of _moe_ face stared at Kiyotaka. He squinted at it.

"What... What _is_ that?"

Sonia covered her mouth with her free hand and gasped.

"You mean... you do not recognize her?!" She looked offended. "She is the Sun Witch Esper Ito! It is without a doubt my favorite Japanese anime, and it has a viewership of over 90% in my country!"

Kiyotaka hardly knew what to say to that. He was surprised that anime (magical girls, anyway) was so popular in Novoselic, for one. And secondly, wasn't it redundant to call it "Japanese anime"? He wouldn't bother with trying to explain that right now.

"O-Of course it is," he answered, and she instantly looked relieved. "It's just that her name had slipped my mind. I'm sorry."

Kiyotaka smiled. Underneath all of the upper-class formalities and European glamour, Sonia Nevermind was a shockingly nice and normal girl. Maybe being fake-married to her wouldn't be so bad at all. The situation could be a lot worse, he supposed— at the very least, he'd made a wonderful friend.

For a couple of minutes, they laughed at the fact that they'd made the same decision in secret and discussed future "small rebellions". Sonia wanted to get more tattoos similar to the one she already had, turning that whole thigh into a magical girls tribute. Kiyotaka thought he might try taking up karate again. He hoped, that in changing the subject, Sonia would forget his earlier admission. He was not so lucky.

"Now tell me already," she pled, "who were you referring to earlier? If you've met a nice man, I would at least like to hear about him. I've so enjoyed getting to tell you all about my beloved while it lasted, after all. You _must_ want to gush just a little bit!"

Kiyotaka groaned. He groaned because Sonia was right. He and Mondo Oowada were not and had never been a couple, and he'd been trying to deny the fact that he'd developed any feelings for the man at all, and he couldn't accept his advances. And yet here he was, feeling some silly urge to tell Sonia _everything_ about him. ...Just a bit couldn't hurt, right?

"...Alright, alright, you win." Sonia cheered, and Kiyotaka laughed nervously. "I've... got a bit of a crush on someone."

Saying it out loud hurt. He'd never acknowledged it before. There was a lump in his throat, and there were nervous butterflies in his stomach.

"Tell me! What is he like?! I am admittedly very curious as to what your type is."

Kiyotaka scratched his cheek, noticing the heat there, as he struggled for the words to describe the man on his mind. Daiya's voice popped into his head for some reason. Daiya was like his brother in the way that his words stuck in one's head, no matter how ridiculous. That, and Kiyotaka still wondered what Daiya had been referring to when he'd turned so serious that day. His words had registered as ominous.

"...It might surprise you to hear this, but... he's actually a reformed 'bad boy'. He's got lots of tattoos and he used to run a biker gang with his older brother. He drives a tow truck now, and also works as a mechanic."

Sonia giggled, looking absolutely giddy.

"I would not have expected that from you! I was certain you'd fallen for an older coworker, for whatever reason. Someone stable."

"He... Well, he _is_ stable, I guess, even if he doesn't look like it. He's very blunt and nosy and kind of rough around the edges, and he's still got the accent from his street days, but... he's oddly calming and gives me advice every time we meet. He's strong, and he's supportive, and he's... He's happy. He wants to share that with me, somehow. ...He's an animal guy, too. He has four dogs."

Sonia clasped her hands over her heart and smiled sweetly. Kiyotaka, embarrassed, avoided her eyes.

"He sounds just wonderful, and like a perfect fit for you. ...Is he handsome?"

Kiyotaka hid his face his his hands.

" _Gorgeous_."

Sonia clapped and hopped up and down for a moment. Then, the sadness of the fact that Kiyotaka was describing a man he couldn't be with seemed to hit her, and her smile became a pained one. She was obviously thinking about her own special guy, too.

"...But we have to do the smart thing here, do we not?"

"...We do," Kiyotaka affirmed.

They exchanged a glance. It was a silent plea. Both of them wanted the same thing— to be free of their manipulative families, and to run away with the men of their respective dreams. But they both knew that this was a useless fantasy.

Sonia jerked to attention as she identified familiar voices approaching the garden. She flashed Kiyotaka a symbol with her hand, and he was instantly anxious. They'd planned this, and he knew it wasn't a big deal because Sonia herself knew it meant nothing, but it was still bound to be awkward.

"...Okay," Sonia whispered, grabbing hold of both of his hands. "My mother's on her way. Listen for the sound of the door opening, and then go. We can do this."

"I guess so," Kiyotaka grumbled.

They waited, in their awkward staged couple pose, until the doors to the garden swung open. Kiyotaka held his breath and leaned in. Sonia imitated his movements. Their lips met for only a second or two. Kiyotaka heard Sonia's mother react, and then he pulled away.

"Now, now, you little lovebirds," Mrs. Nevermind cooed, "there will be time for that later. Come back to the party. Mr. and Mrs. Ishimaru are worried!"

"We shall catch up with you in just a moment, mother," Sonia replied, forcing a wide smile and squeezing Kiyotaka's hands a little too hard. Mrs. Nevermind nodded and left, giggling as she did so. Kiyotaka finally released his breath as soon as she was out of sight.

Sonia shrugged in Kiyotaka's direction.

"That... was not _quite_ as bad as I had thought it would be."

"I know," Kiyotaka laughed. "...You have very soft lips, by the way."

Sonia giggled and slapped his arm, pretending to be offended.

"Kiyotaka!"

"I mean, I'm still very gay, but I guess I understand the appeal. ...Do you use something, or is that just a girl thing?"

"Oh, that... it is a special balm, actually. I make it myself! I will lend you a tube, if you would like some."

"...I'd appreciate that."

With that, he offered her his elbow. They linked arms, took a moment to mentally prepare themselves, and then marched back into the fray of the party. They managed to keep up their carefully-rehearsed act up for the rest of the night. By the time he returned home, Kiyotaka was exhausted. He didn't bother with any of his usual chores, and instead leapt right into bed as soon as he'd changed out of his uncomfortable suit.

He pulled out his phone, intending to send Sonia an encouraging text message. She had beaten him to the punch.

_Sonia: My relatives were very impressed with you. They are still talking about you. Let us continue to fight the good fight together!_

Kiyotaka smiled. At least they liked him.

_Kiyotaka: That's good to know. I'm glad to be in this mess with you, at least._

Another moment, and Kiyotaka received a picture. It was of a somewhat strange-looking man, tall and brooding, but with a blush dusting his cheeks. He was trying to hide the lower half of his face in a purple scarf. His get-up was odd, but he was handsome, and there was a hamster resting on one of his shoulders. He had a feeling that he knew who this was and why she was sending a picture now. It was probably Sonia's way of paying her respects.

 _Sonia: His name is Gundham._  
_Kiyotaka: What about the hamster?_  
_Sonia: Cham-P! <3_

Kiyotaka chuckled. Then, something occurred to him, and he searched through the photos on his phone.

He didn't take or save a lot of pictures. He'd had the phone for a year and had only fifteen photographs in total, so he easily found the one that he was looking for. When he had last visited the repair shop of a certain towing company, he had taken a few pictures of his car for insurance purposes. A particular mechanic had decided to treat it like a photo shoot, and he had insisted on striking a pose and being included in every shot. Kiyotaka had one particularly good picture that captured the man's mischievous grin. A few taps of his finger, and he sent the photograph to Sonia.

 _Kiyotaka: This is Mondo._  
_Sonia: :o_  
_Sonia: !!!!!!!!!!!!!_  
_Sonia: That smile! That figure! What a looker!_  
_Kiyotaka: Gundham is cute, too._  
_Sonia: You slow down there, mister! >:( Gundham is mine!_

Kiyotaka laughed. He felt warm and fuzzy inside, even if it was just for a minute.

_Kiyotaka: Of course he is. I wouldn't steal him away from you.  
Sonia: You'll have to speak to Mondo about the arrangement, won't you?_

He paused, feeling the warmth dissipate.

_Kiyotaka: I will. Wish me luck. Good night, Sonia._

She replied in kind, and Kiyotaka set his alarms and put the phone on the nightstand.

There was a throbbing and unfamiliar ache in chest as he tried to fall asleep.


	19. (Not) A Goodbye

Kiyotaka spent the next few days planning things with Sonia and trying to keep Mondo at an arm's length. He'd run into him at the grocery store and kept up a pleasant but uninterested conversation. He knew that he would have to let the man down gently at some point, but he couldn't bring himself to do it in the middle of such a public place.

He huffed hoarse breaths out through his mouth as he ran, his feet pounding the treadmill below him. He'd lost track of time. The physical exertion seemed to be shedding some of the anxiety out of his body in the form of sweat.

Tomorrow, he reminded himself, he and Sonia were going ring shopping. A ring would be a physical seal of their pact.

Kiyotaka couldn't help but feel a little bit ridiculous. Who the hell faked an entire marriage just to impress their parents? He knew that it was silly, but he couldn't stop it. He just didn't have the strength all on his own. If his parents knew what he'd done— that he'd lied and tricked both families for so long, and to such an extent— they would surely hate him. They'd never be able to forgive him this time, and then, Kiyotaka would be all alone.

He couldn't even bear to entertain that thought.

He felt like he could collapse as he finally stopped the machine. He noticed, just then, that it was dark outside, and that he seemed to be the last person left. Only one employee remained, lounging lazily by the drink bar and blatantly staring at her phone. Closing time must have been close. Kiyotaka took a long swig of water, threw his towel over his neck, and made his way to the showers— he didn't want to drive home feeling sticky and gross.

He was halfway through taking off his shirt when he heard a sinister chuckle. The voice was familiar. Kiyotaka nearly threw his water bottle at the nearest wall out of sheer spite for his horrible timing.

"Fancy runnin’ inta ya here, of all places!"

"You know very well that I use this gym. Don't pretend to be so surprised!"

"I know, but I've never run inta ya _here_."

Kiyotaka turned to cross his arms and glare. Mondo had exactly the sort of scheming expression on his face that Kiyotaka had guessed he would.

Before he could open his mouth to say something scolding, it occurred to him that Daiya had branded him. He'd never hear the end of it if Mondo saw the tattoo. He blushed and made sure that he hadn't exposed it.

"N-Now, look— I know exactly what you're thinking, and I don't want you looking at me! If I see your eyes wandering, you'll be sorry!"

He was glad, at least, that he and Mondo seemed to be the only gym members left. This wasn't an argument that he'd want anyone overhearing. Mondo pouted and sighed.

"Fine, fine. I'll behave. ...If it'll get ya to lemme take ya to dinner."

"I'm not promising anything!"

"Of course not. That'd be too easy."

Mondo moved to remove his sweat-drenched tank top, and Kiyotaka swallowed a shriek. _Dear, sweet Lord Almighty— please have mercy_. Mondo was actually in even better shape than he'd been so shamelessly imagining. He turned to glare at the employee lockers before Mondo could see the deep red blush on his cheeks.

Kiyotaka snuck glances back at Mondo as he changed. This was just to make sure that he wasn't peeking, of course. To his surprise, Mondo made no such attempt. He just focused on stripping himself bare and stepping into the nearest shower stall, where he closed the little plastic door behind himself. The doors only covered the bits that would have to be censored on television. Mondo was tall enough that a decent portion of his upper body was still visible above it. ...How tall _was_ he, anyway? It had to be at least six feet.

As soon as he was certain that Mondo was facing the shower head, and that he likely couldn't see him past the stall door or the divider, Kiyotaka stripped off his pants and underwear and rushed into the shower. He turned the water as cold as it would go. For reasons completely unrelated to the guy beside him.

A quiet minute passed. Kiyotaka didn't do much of anything. Mondo thoroughly soaked all of his hair with his hands.

"...Somebody's a hypocrite," Mondo's voice teased. Kiyotaka flinched.

"I beg your pardon?!"

"You were all weird about coverin' yourself up, demandin' that I not so much as glance at you, and then ya sit there and ogle me? I'm not a piece of meat, I'll have you know!"

"I-I wasn't—" Kiyotaka sputtered and averted his gaze. "I wasn't ogling anybody! I was... looking at the tattoo!"

"Oh, yeah? Which one?"

" _The tiger_."

Kiyotaka was able to declare this confidently, as he had, to some degree, been looking at the tiger. He wasn't an artist, but it was a beautiful tattoo. The detailing on the fur was magnificent.

More importantly, the tiger was a large tattoo, and the only one on his back. It was depicted in mid-pounce, the curve of its belly meeting the lower edge of Mondo's shoulder blade. The whole of the image filled what Kiyotaka would describe as the upper-left quadrant of the man's back (Kiyotaka's left), leaving the rest of it bare of any ink. It was, he had to admit, a very aesthetically pleasing arrangement. The tiger suited Mondo and moved along with his muscles. And there was still plenty of unmarked skin on that broad expanse of a back to be admired.

"Ah, my tiger? She's a real beauty. Daiya's always makin' me take my shirt off to show it to people, seein' as it's some of his best work."

"...Your brother does your tattoos?" Kiyotaka pretended that he didn't already know this. Mondo grunted a confirmation. He smiled a fond smile whenever he talked about his brother. Kiyotaka suddenly remembered Daiya's serious words about gratitude. He sort of wanted to tell Mondo what his brother had said, but didn't want to give away his little secret, so he kept it to himself.

Another minute. Kiyotaka was unconsciously prolonging this exchange and hadn't properly begun to clean himself.

"So what's new with you?" Mondo asked. Kiyotaka bit his lip.

"I, um... got a promotion at work. I'll be making six figures."

"Sweet. Good on ya. Doesn't come as a surprise, though, seein' as ya work so damn hard all the time. ...Anything else?"

"I'm, um..." Kiyotaka cleared his throat and then turned to face Mondo. "I'm engaged."

Mondo’s hands, which had been lathering shampoo from a little travel bottle through his hair, stopped. This was only the second time that Kiyotaka had caught the man by surprise and wiped the relaxed smile off of his face. His face seemed empty, or like it belonged to somebody else, without it. He frowned and raised an eyebrow at Kiyotaka.

"...For real, or to your fake girlfriend?" His tone was fearful. That, too, seemed unlike Mondo. Kiyotaka sighed.

"My fake girlfriend. I suppose I should say that I'm fake-engaged."

"N' you're... actually plannin' to go through with a wedding?"

Kiyotaka held his gaze for a moment before he nodded. Mondo stared at him, wordlessly, for four straight seconds before he laughed an incredulous laugh and turned back to what he'd been doing. His hands started moving again, this time in quick and furious movements. Kiyotaka couldn't help but feel like he'd made Mondo nervous.

"...Look, I'm sure you know what you're doin'," Mondo said a bit too loud, sounding like he could hardly believe what was happening, "n' I should really learn to mind my own fuckin' business. I know that. Y'probably don't wanna hear it outta me, but, if Y'don't mind my asking... Are you out of your goddamn mind?"

Kiyotaka jumped.

"I— I am certainly not! I don't have much of a choice!"

"You're literally plannin' to marry some chick you've got no interest in so your parents’ll get off your back. That's what you're sayin'?"

" _Oowada_. It's not a decision that either I or my fiancée take lightly, and frankly, it wasn't my decision. There were... circumstances. It happened by accident, but now, everyone knows, and it's too late for us to back out. They'd likely kill us if they knew."

Mondo didn't know what to say to that. He just laughed again, shook his head, and continued to scrub himself down. Kiyotaka felt insanely guilty.

"I honestly don't know what to say," Mondo sighed as he exited the shower stall and began to towel off. He managed to do this very quickly for such a large man, and then he wrapped his towel around his waist and used a smaller one to begin the more involved task of drying his hair. He squeezed the water out of it, thoroughly scrubbed at his scalp with the towel, and then tied it back into a ponytail with a hairband.

"Then don't say anything," Kiyotaka retorted as he followed suit. He made sure to dry himself off before exiting the stall (he had a lot less hair to worry about), and saw to it that the towel covered his hip. "You said it yourself— you ought to learn to mind your own business."

"Well, shit. I guess so." A pause. "...Y'know, you're pretty fuckin' cut for a nerd—"

"Didn't I tell you not to look?!" Kiyotaka couldn't help but blush even as he shouted. Mondo let out an exaggerated groan of annoyance.

"Fine! ...Dunno what you're so embarrassed about."

Mondo sat down on the bench and fiddled around inside of his gym bag, and from there, he retrieved a tiny bag. He pulled a little metal rod out and began to re-attach it to the cartilage of his ear. Kiyotaka supposed that it made sense to take the piercing out during a shower, or for strenuous physical activity. Mondo's workouts definitely had to be intense for him to look like that. ...Leon had said that he'd given the man _a few_ piercings. Where were the others?

Kiyotaka plopped down onto the bench beside him, at just enough of a reasonable distance, and began to pull on his socks and underwear.

"...For what it's worth, I... know that I'm being ridiculous. And logically, I'm certain that my parents might realize it at some point, but... They went and threw us this extravagant engagement party, and they got me expensive gifts, and somebody leaked it to the press. It's in the local papers. My father went so far as to tell everybody in my office."

"The lie jus' got too big to handle before ya could back out," Mondo summarized. His gaze was sympathetic, and he was keeping it above Kiyotaka's neckline. "...It's still crazy, but... maybe I was bein' too harsh."

"No." Kiyotaka shook his head. "It's ridiculous, and I know that. I... I know that I don't ever tell you this, but I do appreciate your advice. You're just trying to help. You've been... very kind to me. In your own way."

That was the first time Kiyotaka ever saw Mondo blush. His lips twisted downwards in embarrassment, and a tint of pink dusted his bronzed cheekbones, before he scratched the back of his neck and turned away to focus on pulling up his pants.

"...Don't mention it."

 _God dammit_. He could be unexpectedly cute sometimes, and that wasn't making it any easier for Kiyotaka to say what had to be said. Now was the perfect opportunity, since nobody else was around, but he just couldn't seem to do it. He secured his shoes and then stood up, halfway through slipping on his shirt, and turned to look down at Mondo.

"Listen, there's something that I have to— _what are you doing to your nipples?!_ "

Kiyotaka squeaked at himself as soon as those words had left his mouth. It was a rude and vulgar question. What business of his was it?! Mondo, meanwhile, glanced down at his own pectorals after he'd allowed himself to be thoroughly amused by that remark.

"Oh, this? They're pierced. I don't wear the rings at the gym, though. Seems like a fuckin' nightmare waitin' to happen. I gotta put 'em back in."

Kiyotaka scoffed. Nipple rings. _Nipple rings_. There was just one more thing to add to his list of suddenly acquired and completely ridiculous fetishes. He was beginning to suspect that Mondo Oowada was not, in fact, a trucker, but that he was instead some kind of Incubus, and one that had taken on the sole purpose of ruining his life. And he didn't care if that sounded melodramatic. He was so thoroughly distracted by that little surprise that the words he'd planned to say were startled from his thoughts.

They both fully redressed themselves, packed up their gym bags, and put the provided towels in the laundry bin before they made their way outside. Mondo chatted excitedly about his brother's tattoo parlor, following Kiyotaka all the way to his car.

"Is this your new one, or is it a rental?" Mondo walked around the vehicle in a circle.

"I purchased it. It's mine. I only used a rental for a few days."

"It's nice. Real fuel-efficient."

"That's what everyone was saying online... I wanted something practical."

" _Practical_ as in somethin' that won't potentially blow up n' kill ya?"

Kiyotaka shuddered, and Mondo laughed.

"I certainly hope so. I... suppose it's technically a good thing that I crashed it when I did, or..."

"You coulda been killed," Mondo finished for him, his voice laced with obvious concern. There was a brief pause, and then Mondo slapped the roof of the car with one hand. "Ya shoulda just come to me, though. If ya ever need anythin' car related—"

"Listen, Mondo."

That effectively stopped the man in his mental tracks, as Kiyotaka had never actually addressed him by his first name before. He raised an eyebrow.

"...Yeah?"

"...I... admit it. You've got me again, alright?" He looked around, and after confirming that no one was in their immediate earshot, he beckoned Mondo closer. The larger man bent down, slightly, to make it easier for Kiyotaka to whisper. He looked a little bit too eager. "...I'm not attracted to women. Never have been."

Mondo grinned victoriously. Which hurt, for some reason.

"Called it."

"You did. I know. And..." He sighed, squeezing his eyes shut. He couldn't look Mondo in the eyes and make this admission. "I'm... I _am_ , however, attracted to you. And I like you a lot." Mondo's grin widened, and he started to say something. " _But_."

The smile faded. Mondo's brow lowered apprehensively.

"...But?"

"I... I-I have responsibilities to uphold! Understand? I... have a fiancée now, a-and... I just don't see how us entertaining this ruse any longer could do anything but hurt us both. You don't deserve to be some secret fling. I won't... I won't do that to you."

"...Ah."

Mondo straightened up his stance and took a hesitant step back. Kiyotaka's heart twisted at the dejected look on his face. Mondo had, surely, thought he'd won for a moment, only to have his hopes dashed seconds later. He took a moment to recover from his wounded pride, and then he smiled. This one was small and warm rather than flirtatious.

"...That's... That's alright," Mondo said carefully. "I'll, uh... _withdraw_. No use beatin' a dead horse, right?"

He suddenly looked a lot younger and more timid, his usual confidence having been shaken. Kiyotaka stared at him, amazed.

_You really do like me, don't you...?_

"Trust me, it's not _you_ , I just—"

"No, you... You don't hafta make excuses. It's your decision."

Mondo was being as graceful about it as he could, and Kiyotaka appreciated that, but this was even harder, somehow, than he had guessed it would be. He wanted to take it back, but wouldn't that just hurt him even more? To entertain the possibility, for even a little while, of something that couldn't happen? He felt that he was doing the right thing, but the right thing wasn't always easy.

"But just so ya know..."

Mondo's voice pulled Kiyotaka out of his dazed stupor. He perked up.

"...Yes?"

Mondo had pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket— one of Daiya's business cards— and was scribbling something on the back. He thrust the card into Kiyotaka's hand and closed his fingers over it.

"I don't... wanna lose ya, even if I can't have ya, so... if you ever need anything— and I do mean _anything_ — just gimme a call. I can still be a friend to ya."

Kiyotaka didn't know what to say to that. So he didn't say anything at all. He ran away and left Mondo standing there, alone and bewildered, on the sidewalk. He chewed his lip for the entirety of the ride back to his apartment. He tasted blood by the time he'd gotten his front door open. He sat down, slowly, on his sofa, not bothering to put his gym bag away or wash his dirtied workout clothes.

And then, Kiyotaka, not knowing what else to do, cried. He sobbed into his hands, and nobody heard him. 


	20. Those Who Keep Secrets

"Knock, knock."

A tiny, timid voice interrupted Kiyotaka as he set a picture frame down on his shiny new desk. He tensed.

"...Fujisaki-chan. ...Do you like the view?"

He gestured at the floor-to-ceiling window behind him. It was certainly impressive. One could see the entire business district. Fujisaki spared it only a glance, not answering his question.

"I'm really worried about you, you know."

"You've said as much. Several times. You worry too much."

Kiyotaka didn't want to have this conversation again. He returned to what he had been doing— making the office his own and removing any lingering traces of Ichijou. He didn't look Chihiro in the eye, and he moved about in a hasty and impractical manner meant to make him look more busy than he was. He didn't have a lot of personal belongings, and most of his work materials existed in the form of digital data. The office was going to be depressingly and noticeably empty. It was a strange thing to worry about.

Chihiro studied him, for a moment, and then she took a few comfortable steps forward and sat down in the chair in front of the desk. Kiyotaka's work chair behind the desk, which had come with the office, was a leather swiveling one. The second chair was meant for visitors. She flattened out the pleats in her skirt (she always insisted on wearing ones that didn't hug her frame) and waited.

Kiyotaka worked for another minute before he sighed, threw down his stack of books, and plopped into his new seat.

"What do you want from me, Fujisaki-chan? Have I upset you in some way?"

"You don't have to sound so mad..."

" _I'm not—_ " He paused to clear his throat. "I'm not mad. I'm just... I'm just tired."

Kiyotaka was only partly lying.

The last week had been a swirling nightmare of busyness. He'd gone ring-shopping with Sonia, and there was now a band around the appropriate finger that was far too gaudy for his own tastes. His parents had forced him to have a celebratory dinner with them that night, where they had spent half of the event giving him backhanded compliments. "I was beginning to think that you'd never find anybody, but you've gone and landed yourself a fine woman!" Things of that nature. It seemed that his parents just couldn't stand being genuinely nice to him.

That exchange, on top of the stress of getting settled into his new role and being shown the ropes while helping to train the person who would replace him, had gotten him thinking— had he done something to deserve this misery? Surely he must have offended someone rather terribly to be dealt this hand. Shortly after having that thought, his mind had been plagued with a troubling mantra: _Everyone would be better off with somebody better than you. You're a bother. That's why you don't have any friends. You can't do anything right._

The change in his mental stability had deprived him of sleep and left him irritable and snappy. Chihiro hadn't been the first person to point it out to him. He'd been getting a lot done at work and hadn't been zoning out the way he had shortly after meeting Mondo for the first time, but he wasn't sure that this Kiyotaka was any better. This particular Kiyotaka was, for lack of a better word, _grouchy_.

Chihiro looked back over her own shoulder to confirm that she had closed the door behind her, and then she leaned forward to rest her elbows on the desk. Kiyotaka imitated her stance. The leather underneath him made a noise that he didn't like.

"How... How is the new job treating you? I-I know it's supposed to be a surprise, but I'm sure you've heard about the party they're planning at the bar."

Kiyotaka nodded. He _had_ heard about that party, because his coworkers were a bunch of gossips who couldn't keep anything to themselves and never bothered to look over their shoulders when they talked amongst themselves. It was a cruel irony that they planned to have it at the very same sports bar that Kiyotaka knew all too well— the one where Mondo had saved his life.

He had been trying not to think about the man, but every time he heard that bar mentioned, Mondo swam back into his thoughts. He hadn't been _ignoring_ Mondo, but their relationship had changed. Kiyotaka had run into him once in the grocery store and again on the sidewalk, and both times, Mondo had given him a pained smile and hurried elsewhere. Kiyotaka couldn't blame the man for having that reaction— his own expression must have betrayed his discomfort in seeing Mondo's face, and he hadn't exactly made any effort to call him or text him even though he had his phone number.

Kiyotaka didn't have time to be thinking about those things. He shook his head to rid it of those traitorous thoughts.

"The job is... difficult, but that's to be expected for the kind of salary it comes with. My parents are proud of me. And I've heard about the party. I haven't been to that bar in quite some time."

"Oh, yeah..." Chihiro realized aloud, "isn't that the one where you met Oowada-kun?"

Kiyotaka pursed his lips.

"...Is he still helping you train?"

"He is! I'm up to sixty pounds, and I can run a half-mile. Why do you ask?"

"No reason."

He awkwardly looked away. Chihiro tilted her head and then changed the subject to something entirely different.

"I was here when your father stopped by, you know."

"...You were?"

"I don't think I like him very much. He was talking about you, and your promotion and the engagement, but he kept finding ways to make it about him. And he bought you an orange tie... Even I know that you hate that color. You've never worn anything orange."

Kiyotaka scoffed.

"It's not that I _hate_ orange. It just looks awful on me. Makes me look washed-out. ...A-And yeah, my father... he does that. My mother, too. I already mentioned it, didn't I?"

"You did." Chihiro smiled sadly. "Did you even want this promotion?"

Kiyotaka didn't bother to insist that he had. Chihiro already knew that he wasn't particularly fond of this field, and she had noticed his unusual reaction to the announcement. He didn't want to insult her intelligence.

"I'd have to be insane to turn it down, wouldn't I? I mean, I get _two months_ of paid vacation time."

"But you probably won't take a vacation."

"Th-That's not true! I-I have my... my honeymoon!"

She clearly didn't believe him. And she wasn't wrong— Kiyotaka had only ever taken vacation time or the day off when it was required of him for legal reasons, and he usually spent the time away secretly getting a head start on future projects. He didn't really know how to shut himself off.

"...Just tell me this, Fujisaki-chan," he mumbled. "Why do you bother with me? Why can't you just leave me be?"

Chihiro's eyes widened slightly. She clasped her little hands together under her chin and began to wring them nervously.

"A-Am I... annoying you?"

"No! That's not what I meant. I just... don't see what could possibly be so interesting about talking to me and taking me to lunch."  
  
Chihiro giggled at his answer. Kiyotaka didn't know what she found so funny.

"I just worry about you. I think we're kind of similar."

"...Similar, how?"

Kiyotaka stared the girl down. For a moment, he was afraid that she wouldn't answer. She hid her mouth behind her hands and looked down at the carpet before she spoke next.

"Well... when you first started working here, I really looked up to you. You always worked so hard, and you always smiled and helped everybody else. You kept everyone focused and organized. But... I started noticing the cracks in your facade. And I realized that something was wrong.

"Wh-When I noticed that your demeanor had changed, I decided to ask you to lunch, and then you admitted it— that you don't even like this job. That you don't even want to be here and would rather be a teacher. You were... living a lie that had gotten out of hand. ...I know what that's like."

Kiyotaka frowned in his surprise and raised an eyebrow.

"You... do?"

Chihiro nodded.

"Mm-hm. Oowada-kun knows about it, and he's helping me with that, but... It's been so long since I started lying that it's hard for me to even tell what's true anymore. And I'm afraid sometimes that if I tell the truth, everybody will hate me."

Kiyotaka smiled a strange, thin smile at that. Her words had struck a chord. He knew exactly how she felt. He and Chihiro were, in fact, quite similar.

"...I don't like this place, but I have to do what's right for my family," he offered lamely. Chihiro shook her head.

"Have they ever done what's right for you? I think that maybe you're the only one who actually cares."

"You might be right, but... They're the only family I have."

Kiyotaka didn't intend to elaborate. He used his thumb and index finger to squeeze at the place where the bridge of his nose met the middle of his brow. He felt a migraine forming there, and he hadn't even started working yet. Thankfully he'd remembered to bring some painkillers for this problem as well as the constant ache in his lower back.

"I have something for you." Chihiro's tone was cheerful as she said that. She started fishing through her satchel, and then she produced a very nice hardcover book, one that Kiyotaka had been meaning to read. "Think of it as an office-warming present. You... used to keep a book with you in your bag for the lunch break, but it seems like you don't read much anymore. You should make time for it! It's good for the brain."

"That's—" He took the book, genuinely touched and surprised, and flipped it over in his hands a few times. "...This is very nice of you, Fujisaki-chan. I'll be sure to read it."

Shortly after that, Chihiro left. It seemed that her main motivation for visiting had been delivering that present. Kiyotaka thought about the book the whole way home. Reading for pleasure, he'd already decided, would be his small rebellion. He'd always been a fast reader. He would need all the books he could get.

He let out a groan as he sat at his kitchen table. His joints creaked in protest. He was too young for this, wasn't he? He was sure he'd have to get his back looked at. If he found the time.

Kiyotaka picked up the book and opened it to its front cover. There, he found something scribbled in pencil. A name and a cell phone number. That jabbed at a wound in his heart that hadn't yet had time to heal. Even so, he pulled out his own phone and added in the new contact. He had a photograph to use as Chihiro's contact picture that he'd taken at an office party.

He didn't text her right away. He didn't mind being acquaintances, or even friends, with her, but he didn't want to come across as desperate. Instead he found himself lingering over a different recently-added contact number.

He clicked on it and opened up the window to send a text message. He tried to think of something casual to say, something informal but not too presumptuous.

_How have you been?_

_I miss you._

_My new job is going well._

_I want to ride in your truck again._

_Sonia says hello._

_I want you to tease me more._

_How is your brother?_

_I want to hear more of your advice._

_I want to know more about you._

_I want you to hold me._

_I really, really miss you._

It seemed that he couldn't say one thing without saying the other. Anything less would feel like a lie. So he erased the string of messages and closed the window, setting his phone, useless, on the tabletop as he took a minute to collect himself.

He picked the phone back up and dialed a familiar number. He held his breath as it rang.

"...Hi, mom. ...I just wanted to let you and dad know that I moved into my new office today."


	21. Hitting the Fan

" _To Ishimaru-san!_ " A loud voice called out.

"To Ishimaru-san," several other voices repeated.

There was a clinking of glass against glass, and a chorus of claps and cheers, and then the former chatter resumed.

The bar was nearly crowded. Everyone on Kiyotaka's floor had stopped by to celebrate his promotion. He knew that most of them were just there to drink and gossip and catch up with their office friends, but he supposed it was nice enough of them to put in the effort of pretending to like him.

There was Chihiro, at least. And a few of his future "supervision comrades" that had proven to make for decent company. Chihiro herself was the first to admit that she was a lightweight, so she was avoiding the alcohol in favor of a glass full of cola. Kiyotaka had opted for a very light beer. He didn't want a repeat of what had happened the last time he'd gone drinking with his coworkers— getting that plastered again could cost him the promotion.

He could hardly hear himself think. He twisted his engagement ring around on his finger. People occasionally teased him about how antisocial he was being, considering the fact that it was technically his party. He laughed the comments off and explained that he was just thinking.

Chihiro sat down in the barstool beside him. She now had a little basket full of potato wedges.

"Would you like one?" She slid the basket in his direction. He frowned at it for a moment. He normally avoided greasy bar food, but it looked strangely appetizing.

"...Sure," he agreed, picking out the smallest one. "Just one can't hurt."

Chihiro stared at him as he ate his snack. Her expression was uncharacteristically firm.

"I'm going to start force-feeding you if you keep skipping your lunches." Kiyotaka laughed, both incredulously and fearfully, and her brow lowered. "I wasn't joking."

"Okay, okay," Kiyotaka relented. "I won't do that anymore if it upsets you that much. It's just hard to work up much of an appetite with so much going on, you know?"

He adjusted his ring again. Chihiro glanced at it.

"How's the engagement going? I haven't actually heard you talk about your fiancée."

"O-Oh, well... It's sort of a private thing. She's a bit more recognizable than I am, to put it lightly. She's from an upper-class family."

"Is she nice to you?"

"Very."

"...That's good."

Kiyotaka tried not to laugh at that. It was a strange question to ask. Why would he marry someone who wasn't nice to him? He wondered that, for just a moment, before he realized that that didn't mean much coming from a gay man who was planning on marrying a straight woman.

Chihiro convinced him to have a bit more food after that. She'd been right, apparently— Kiyotaka had not been eating enough, and once he did so, he felt a lot better. He managed to be more sociable.

Everyone was being kind to him. He was able to smile and laugh. He had just enough alcohol to get a very slight buzz, and in that state, he was able to convince himself that he was doing the right thing. He could become friends with Chihiro, and Sonia would make an excellent fake wife, and his new job would be great and his parents would leave him alone, and certain men that he refused to name would be better off moving on and forgetting about him.

Everything was fine. Everything was just fine. That was what Kiyotaka told himself as the party entered its full swing. People danced and giggled and watched games and played pool and threw their arms around one another. He switched from beer to soda and had a basket of fries smothered in cheese— the sort of decadent junk food that he never allowed himself to have.

"Come on, Ishimaru!" A coworker prodded, tugging him toward one of the pool tables. "Tonight's your night! Play just one game, will you?"

"...Oh, alright," Kiyotaka laughed. He allowed himself to be pulled onto his feet and followed the other man. The girls around the table clapped and greeted him cheerily. Even if they were faking it, it was nice.

Kiyotaka cleared his head of all other thoughts and moved to line up his shot. And that was when he spotted a familiar face in the doorway. A very solemn face that he had not expected to see.

"Hey, isn't that your dad?" One of the women asked. Kiyotaka gulped and nodded. It certainly was. And Kiyotaka had no idea why he was there. It couldn't possibly be good news.

"...Hang on a moment." He handed the pool cue off to someone else and hurried to the door.

Takaaki Ishimaru was usually serious. He rarely smiled. But Kiyotaka knew how to recognize anger in him. The sight of it gave him pause. He approached the man as politely as he could. He tried not to think about the fact that the last time he'd seen the man so angry, he'd earned himself a slap across the face for an embarrassingly low test score.

"...Dad, what are you doing here?"

Takaaki stepped into the bar and slowed the door behind him without answering, not commenting on the not-so-friendly greeting, took a few steps forward, and quickly eyed the crowd before turning back to his son.

"Dad, you're not answering me. If you're here, where mom—"

"I need to speak with you. It's about Sonia."

Kiyotaka's blood ran cold. He tried to send a signal with his eyes. He tried to tell his father that they should have this conversation elsewhere, where others couldn't hear. Takaaki completely ignored him.

"..:What about her?"

Takaaki stared at Kiyotaka, for a long and tense moment, before he sighed heavily and shook his head.

"I don't know how to tell you this, son, but... That fiancée of yours is an adulteress."

_Oh god._

"Her parents caught her with another man, and in their own home."

_Oh no._

"Right under our noses... How can a person be so disrespectful?"

_Oh god, Oh god, Oh god._

This was exactly what Kiyotaka had been terrified of. Sonia had told him so herself— Gundham Tanaka was not an easy man to sway. Of course he wouldn't just stand by and let some other man steal his woman.

But what the hell had happened? How had they both ended up in the Nevermind mansion? What, exactly, had they been doing? Sonia wouldn't have ruined the engagement on purpose, so something must have spiraled out of her control. And this must have _just_ happened, or she likely would have called him about it.

Kiyotaka noticed just then, a bit too late, that a few of his coworkers had heard him and had stopped talking in favor of eavesdropping.

"...Can't we discuss this somewhere more private?"

Once again, he was ignored, and he wasn't about to grab his father and drag him off somewhere. He didn't want to get berated or smacked in front of the people he worked with.

"Is that all you have to say? ...I'd think you would have noticed, son. That girl isn't trustworthy. She never was. Your mother and I have always thought so."

Kiyotaka laughed and rolled his eyes. That wasn't true, and he knew that it wasn't, but Takaaki and Satsuki always had to pretend that they'd seen something coming just so they could scold him about it.

"Oh, did you? I didn't exactly get that impression from you—"

"Need I remind you of to whom you are speaking?" Takaaki's voice was sharp. Kiyotaka fell silent and pursed his lips. He waited. "...In any case, we can't allow this marriage to continue. You are henceforth forbidden from seeing her."

"You don't get to make that decision for me!"

"... _What_ did you say?"

Kiyotaka flinched. What _had_ he just said? Was he finally running out of patience for the way that his father always spoke to him? Even if he was, old habits died hard. He bowed apologetically.

"I-I mean no disrespect, of course, I just... can't stand the thought of never seeing Sonia again! I would at least like to hear some sort of explanation from her!"

"Have patience, and you'll get one. Your mother is on her way to the mansion to get some answers. She's not fond of the idea that the girl intended to swindle us from the beginning—"

"I'm not talking about any of that! I'm talking about _me!_ Why would she do this?!"

Takaaki shrugged.

"If you couldn't hold her full attention, you've only yourself to blame. Perhaps in the future you should put more effort into securing your woman's fancies."

Kiyotaka clenched his jaw shut. Somehow, of course, Takaaki had found a way to make it _his fault_ in a scenario where he'd been allegedly cheated on. If he could somehow get away with, he'd just love to punch the man in the face. Just once. Just to know what it would feel like to turn the tables.

The bar was slowly becoming a bit too quiet, now, as more and more people tuned in to the conversation. Kiyotaka knew that if he scolded his coworkers and told them to mind their own business, he'd never hear the end of it. But the added pressure and the humiliation made him want to crawl into a hole somewhere and never come back out.

"...I guess it's my fault, then," Kiyotaka grumbled. "But at least tell me this— what was going on when they found her?"

"I... beg your pardon?"

"The other man! Gundham! How did he get in? What were they doing? Did he confess to who he was, or say anything about a long-term affair, or was just doing whatever he could to try and win her back?"

"How exactly do you know his name?!"

"Just answer me, please! I want to understand what's going on—"

" _Hold on_." Kiyotaka stopped, choking on his words. Takaaki's expression clouded. "...If you absolutely _must_ know, the man came in through the door of her bedroom's balcony, allegedly as an intruder, by climbing up the foliage on the outer wall. Her parents interrupted some kind of quarrel in which he was trying to convince her to stop the wedding and run away with him to some cabin in the woods. ...She's been cheating with some low-born animal rancher."

"He's not a rancher! He runs a rescue." Where did Takaaki get off, describing people as _low-born?_ Kiyotaka had never heard such classist nonsense in his life.

"Once again, you apparently know more about this than your mother and I. And after I came all this way to tell you. ...I have to tell you, son— your reaction is not what I'd have predicted for a man who's been told that his engagement is doomed. I'd have expected you to cry. Do you not even care?"

_You'd like to see that, wouldn't you?_

"O-Of course I care! It's just—"

"Then why don't you seem surprised?!"

"I-I just want to be sure—"

"Aren't you taking this seriously?! We're talking about a marriage here!"

"I know! I know that it's a big deal, but—"

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you never planned to follow through on your proposal to her!"

" _There WAS no proposal! There was never any proposal!_ "

Kiyotaka couldn't take it any more. His voice had risen to a screech. The entire bar, even the people who had been there before Kiyotaka's office party had arrived, fell into stunned silence. Somewhere, a glass shattered against the floor.

"...Excuse me?"

"You heard me!" Kiyotaka felt tears stinging the corners of his eyes. "We faked the entire thing! We were never even dating! We just wanted to be _left alone!_ "

Takaaki didn't react right away. He gawked, puzzled, at his son, like he was just then seeing him for the first time. And maybe that was true. He seemed to have no real awareness of how much he'd hurt his own child.

"Why..." He paused to collect himself before he tried to speak again. "Why would you do something so absurd? For all this time? Are you telling me that you lied straight to your mother's face? Don't you know how happy she was for you?!"

"Oh, _save it_. She was just happy that I wouldn't be such an embarrassment anymore!" Kiyotaka's next shout was interrupted, briefly, by the sudden closing of his throat. He forced himself to cough before he continued screaming. "I had no choice because of _you!_ Because you and my mother couldn't just leave me alone! You were constantly on my case! Don't pretend like you don't know— _how many goddamn times do I have to tell you that I'm GAY_ before you understand that I don't want to marry some woman?!"

Kiyotaka felt a familiar sting across his cheek, as soon as those words had left his mouth, that he hadn't felt in years. The shock of it froze him in place for only a second before he reeled back, curled his hand into a fist, and socked his father across the jaw, just like he'd been imagining for years.

There was a gasp that spread through the room. Everyone had heard the _thud_ of the contact. A few barstools screeched as people jumped to their feet to lend some kind of aid.

Time suddenly slowed to a near-stop. Kiyotaka turned, wide-eyed, to look over his shoulder at the silent crowd. He realized two things at once.

One: he had just punched his own father in the face in front of all of his coworkers. Takaaki was still on the ground, where a couple of people were assisting him.

Two: he had accidentally come out of the closet. He'd never told _any_ of the people he worked with, not even Chihiro, about his orientation. And now they all knew.

"...Ishimaru-kun?"

Chihiro's voice. She sounded afraid and confused. Kiyotaka didn't want to wait around to hear any reprimands. He didn't want to give his father an opportunity to strike back or embarrass him any further. He didn't want to be here, surrounded by people he hardly liked, as they judged him for something they couldn't possibly understand. So he left. He fled the bar and crossed the street and ran down the sidewalk. A few voices shouted after him, but no one moved to follow.

He could barely see where he was going, so it came as no surprise when he bumped into someone. He stammered an apology and tried to keep running. Instead, someone gripped his shoulder.

"Little Taka? What're ya doin' out here all by yourself?"

Kiyotaka groaned. Akane. Akane Owari. Mondo's coworker. She was wandering around town with some hulking giant of a man. They both looked concerned. She forcefully turned Kiyotaka to face her.

"Hello, Owari-san. I'm in a bit of a hurry, if you don't mind—"

"You don't look so hot. Where are ya headed?"

"I'm..." He blushed. "I'm just walking!"

"You're in a hurry to walk around aimlessly?" The man pointed out. Kiyotaka glared at him.

"I really have to go."

He wriggled his way out of Akane's grip and bowed. She grinned.

"...Yeah, y'know... I guess _I'm_ not the one ya wanna talk to right now."

Kiyotaka didn't wait for her to elaborate on that. He continued his determined march down the sidewalk and heard the two chuckling fondly at him as he left.

He made it another couple hundred feet. The bar was now far away, a distant spot of light, and he could safely say that no one was coming after him. It was quiet. It was quiet until the silence was interrupted by the loud revving of a motorcycle engine. Kiyotaka turned to glare at the intrusion, and then he noticed the bike slowing to a halt beside him. He stopped walking.

As soon as the motorcycle ceased its movements, the driver kicked the stand out and moved to unbuckle his helmet. He shook out his long hair, tied back in a low-hanging but right little bun, and waved.

Mondo. Akane must have called and sent for him.

"...You're here."

Kiyotaka's voice was small and disbelieving. Normally he greeted Mondo in a scolding tone. The trucker— or, rather, the biker— smiled warmly at him. Friendly. No ulterior motives. At least, not any that plainly showed on his face.

"I am." He shrugged. Like it was nothing. Kiyotaka didn't understand.

"Th-The last time we saw one another, I more or less told you to fuck off and leave me alone."

Mondo laughed at the way that profanity sounded coming from Kiyotaka's vocal chords. It was still a bit unnatural. He'd have to work on it, he supposed.

"Ya kinda did," Mondo agreed. So he _did_ remember that. Temporary amnesia was dismissed from Kiyotaka's list of Mondo's possible motivations.

"...And you're _here_."

Mondo snorted and rolled his eyes.

"In case you forgot, I told ya to call me if ya needed anythin'. And, uh..." Mondo looked back towards where the bar was to make sure that no one else was following, and then he gave Kiyotaka a concerned look. "I'll be honest: ya look like shit. The fuck happened? When was the last time ya slept?"

At any other time, Kiyotaka would have protested Mondo's crude description of his appearance. But he had come all this way even knowing that Kiyotaka probably wouldn't return his advances, and his motorcycle offered a way out of this hell. An escape from it all, however temporary. He could get away just long enough to clear his head, at least.

Kiyotaka took a deep breath, steadying the pounding of his heart, and nodded.

"You're right. I'm very tired. ...Let's get out of here." _God, I've missed you,_ he added in his mind.

Mondo patted the seat behind him.

"Well... Come on. Got a spare helmet in the side bag."

"What am I supposed to hold on to?"

Mondo grinned.

"Me, of course."

Kiyotaka sighed. _Of course_.

Despite the awkwardness of it all, Kiyotaka took a seat and secured his helmet, and then he wrapped his arms around Mondo. He could feel his chest rising and falling, steady and even and comforting.

Then they drove away, leaving everything else behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to a lack of sleep, the next chapter might be delayed by a little bit. But anyway. Remember the warning? The one at the end of chapter one and alluded to in the tags? Next time. Next time is where that warning comes into play.


	22. Tomorrow Can Be Brighter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND HERE IT COMES: THE MEGA CONTENT WARNING!!! Skip the rest of this part of the blurb if you don't want spoilers. ...Okay. So, you thought Kiyotaka's parents were bad? Mondo's dad makes them look like ANGELS. Warning for discussion of child abuse of the physical and sexual varieties, attempted suicide, and excessive drinking. And anger and depression and self-loathing.
> 
> NON-SPOILERY VERSION: this is a really long chapter compared to the others because it's tying together so many little hints and loose ends. And our boys have quite a bit to discuss. And also this one's definitely sad/heavy and painful to read in parts even if you don't have any experience with the issues covered. That said, it's a positive story in the end, because the boy is okay now and has had time to heal in a healthy way. Hence the chapter title.

 

Once they had escaped the suddenly oppressive atmosphere of the city streets, Mondo used his motorcyle to transport both himself and his passenger to a quiet place that Kiyotaka had never seen before. Mondo coaxed Kiyotaka off of the bike before he carefully guided it along with them through the grass, deploying the kickstand when he had reached his apparent destination.

They were near the edge of a cliff that jutted out over the sea. Kiyotaka had always known that the city was located by the shore, but he hadn't ever gotten to see the beach since moving there with his family. He'd never had the time. And while the cliffside wasn't exactly a beach, it overlooked the ocean. For as far as he could see, there was only water below and the expanse of dark sky above. He could hardly determine where one ended and the other began. They blended into one another.

"I used t'come here when I needed to be alone."

Mondo offered that as his only explanation, and then he allowed himself to slide down until he was seated in the grass. He patted the spot beside him. The motorcyle offered them a shield from prying eyes. Kiyotaka sighed and stormed away, closer to the edge. He wasn't ready to sit down just yet. He was too full of nervous energy that he needed to work out of his system. Mondo didn't demand that he join him. He just waited quietly as Kiyotaka paced back and forth.

The words started pouring from his mouth before he even realized that he was speaking. His voice was a pitiful screech, and tears swelled from his weary eyes. Mondo still didn't say anything. And Kiyotaka appreciated that— he needed it. He needed time to sort out his thoughts amid the jumble of it all, to finally put into words what he never, ever had, without being interrupted or asked to clarify.

Kiyotaka told Mondo about the happy family life he'd had when he was little. He told him all about Toranosuke's unforeseen betrayal, and about the bankruptcy and the school transfers and the bullying. He told him about the cold townhome full of spiders and about Snowball and the loss of his prized calligraphy set.

Kiyotaka told Mondo all about his friendless high school career and the many jobs he'd worked only to have all of his earnings confiscated, and about the secret boyfriend he'd had in college before the fear of being found out by his parents made him flee the relationship, and he explained how that pressure had forced him into confiding in his parents about his orientation just for them to slap it down like it was an arbitrary preference that didn't mean anything. He talked about their unplanned visits to make sure that he was studying, and recounted the time he'd been hospitalized from sheer over-work and had thought, for only a minute, that it would be easier to just die.

Kiyotaka cried and told Mondo about how much he had always hated the tech industry, but had gone and worked in the field anyway simply because he didn't know what else to do. He confessed everything about the fake-relationship-turned-fake-engagement, and admitted to his tantrum after he'd gotten his promotion. He talked and talked until, finally, he made it up to the events of that very night. He described everything in detail, not leaving out a single ounce of information.

When he had finally finished, he felt like he had deflated. He groaned at sat down beside Mondo. He managed to make the action look like a collapse. Mondo whistled.

"That's... That's a lot. I dunno where to start with that. But... didja actually punch your dad?"

Mondo's voice was a murmur, barely audible over the distant sound of waves crashing against rock. Kiyotaka nodded, and then Mondo smiled. Only a little— it was a brief and barely-noticeable twitch at the corner of the man's mouth. The sort of thing that Kiyotaka wouldn't have noticed in someone else. Someone less significant.

"...Honestly, kid, I'm impressed," Mondo chuckled. Kiyotaka would have laughed along with him if he were in a less sour mood. "I didn't think ya had it in ya to sock somebody right in the jaw. You're always tellin' me to behave myself."

Mondo was clearly trying to lighten the mood a bit, but his voice was still quiet. Kiyotaka bit his lip before saying anything, as he suddenly felt the urge to cry all over again. He wanted to let the current batch of tears dry before he went and produced another one.

"...I used to be intense, you know," he croaked. "I-I _wanted_ to make my family proud." Kiyotaka paused to swallow the lump in his throat. "B-But then, after the hospital incident, I just... I hit a wall. Something about my family had changed, and I was so _tired_ , and I didn't have anyone to talk to. I... I..."

"Ya burned out," Mondo finished for him. It was the first time he'd spoken at his usual volume in a long while. "Of course ya did. Everybody's got a limit. Ya can't work your ass off without stoppin' for so long n' expect not ta fall down at some point."

"But that's just it! I— I had fallen down before. But I'd gotten back up because I was so passionate about learning. And this time... this time it was different. Because I managed to get up and continue to earn the kinds of grades I'd gotten before, but..." He covered his eyes. "...Something was different this time. It was like something inside of me had _died_ , and now... I don't know how to get that back. I don't even know if I can, or if I should."

Mondo didn't reply for at least a minute. He watched as Kiyotaka sobbed into his hand and stubbornly wiped tears away from his eyes. Then, as if he was completely changing the subject, Mondo lit up a cigarette. Kiyotaka didn't bother to scold him about it.

"...A while back, you asked me how I up and decided to be happy. Y'remember that, right?" Mondo's voice was uncharacteristically serious. Kiyotaka blinked as he waited for his memory to catch up with him, and then he nodded.

"I-I do... Why?"

"Well, like I said, it's a real long story. So y'don't have t'hear it if ya don't wanna."

Kiyotaka studied the small cloud of smoke that billowed up into the sky and the way that it faded into the stars as he thought. If Mondo was bringing this up _now_ , of all times, then perhaps it was important.

"I want to know," Kiyotaka said. "Tell me."

"Alright." Mondo readjusted himself until he was comfortable, and then he stared out at the sky, unmoving, like he had forgotten about the cigarette in his hand. "Well, uh, my brother's all I've ever had. We were born to drunks. They'd throw bottles at us n' beat us for no reason, and half the time I don't think they even knew what my name was."

Kiyotaka frowned. He didn't know what this unexpectedly dark history had to do with happiness, but for the moment, he would listen. Mondo had listened to plenty of his complaining.

"That... sounds awful."

"It was. But it's why me n' Daiya are so close. We couldn't rely on anyone else. By the time the cops took us outta that place, it was too late. ...I didn't trust adults."

"For good reason!"

"Ha. Yeah." He laughed at something and shook his head. "...After that, we got tossed inta foster care. Mosta the people jus' wanted the money. They didn't even care when we got inta trouble n' started meetin' dangerous people. But the agency would find out, and then we'd get a new family. It went on like that til' I was thirteen. Daiya was seventeen and just startin' up the Diamonds."

"A-And then, you... found a nice family?" Kiyotaka asked, his tone hopeful.

"Well, no. We ran away. Daiya picked me up from school one day on a motorcyle I'd never seen before, with all my clothes n' shit stuffed into the bags, and told me we weren't gonna have to stay with anybody we didn't want to no more. The foster people never even came after us."

"...S-So you've lived without any parents since you were _thirteen?!_ How did the two of you even support yourselves?!"

"I'll admit there was some illegal shit mixed in... N' we had to work lots of odd jobs. Daiya started learnin' to tattoo from another gang member, n' I learned about the car business from some guy I used to meet in a bar. ...Funny, really, 'cuz every time we met I cheated at card games and took a hundred bucks from him."

Kiyotaka bit his lip. Normally, he'd have scolded a lawbreaker like Mondo, but... what else were two kids abandoned by the system supposed to do? His condemnation wouldn't change the past, and Mondo had a steady job now. Daiya owned a small business. The two of them had come a long way.

"I'm... sorry that the two of you had to go through all of that by yourselves," Kiyotaka said glumly. "But at least you were happy, right?"

Mondo's slight smile vanished. He twirled his cigarette around, studying it, before taking a long puff.

"...I _wasn't_ happy. I was runnin' away from my problems. I thought that if I was doin' whatever I felt like, I was happy, but that shit was just adrenaline. N' as it got worse, I needed more of it. I started pickin' fights. N' that was when I picked up my cig habit, and I started drinking a lot some nights just t'get some kinda thrill n' cope with it for a little longer. I didn't wanna face the facts."

"What facts? That... What happened?"

Mondo looked squarely at him for a moment, and then he huffed a breath out through his nose. His voice was lower the next time that he spoke.

"You've gotta promise to keep it to yourself, alright? I know it's a lot, but I wanna tell ya. ...Don't make me think too hard about it."

Kiyotaka blinked at him for a moment. Mondo continued to smoke as he waited. Kiyotaka had never intended to go around sharing this information, but what could be so serious that Mondo would want a promise that he'd keep it a secret? It didn't make much sense to share that sort of thing with a man he didn't know. That was the truth of it— as influential as Mondo had been over him recently, he just barely knew the man.

Still... Kiyotaka wanted to know.

If this was something that Mondo wanted to give him, such an intimate piece of himself, Kiyotaka wanted to have it and hold it and take it with him to his grave. It was stupid and it didn't make any sense, but he was sure of this.

"...I promise," Kiyotaka whispered. "I won't tell anyone."

Mondo nodded, slightly, and took another puff before continuing.

"In the gang days, I was a fuckin' _mess_. I was always tryin' to emulate Daiya, but we're different. He was confident, right or wrong. I never had any fuckin' clue who I was. So I got frustrated. Started rackin' up criminal charges. Daiya was gettin' real worried, but I refused to tell him anything. Until the night I got hit by a bus."

"Were you okay?!"

"Mostly. Just a minor concussion n' a broken arm. I told the gang I got hit cuz I wasn't payin' attention. The truth was that I'd... kinda been _hopin'_ to get killed, n' Daiya knew. He cornered me in my hospital room, n' he wouldn't let me go 'til I told him why I would do somethin' so fuckin' stupid. I didn't wanna say it, but... he cried, so I had to."

Kiyotaka didn't comment on the failed suicide attempt, mostly because he couldn't formulate any thoughts on it through his shock. Mondo always seemed so confident and sure of who he was and of what he was doing. It was hard for him to picture the man feeling so lost that he thought death was a better option than life.

"...What was it? Why would you ever want to die?"

Mondo didn't answer for a moment. He stared for a long minute at his mostly-intact cigarette, and then, like it was a very significant action, he used the sole of his shoe to put it out. He did not move to light up another.

"Well... What I had never told anybody was that I liked my dad— the first one— a whole lot better when he was drunk."

The line was delivered calmly enough, but Kiyotaka didn't like it. He didn't like it at all. Something about the phrasing was weird and made him uncomfortable.

"...That... doesn't make any sense. I don't understand."

"When my father was drunk," Mondo continued, "he just hit us n' threw shit and yelled. But when he was sober, he knew how to get in people's heads. And it was a worse than gettin' hit. ...Hell, I asked him to hit me just t'get it over with."

"What... What the hell did he do?" Kiyotaka really, _really_ didn't like where this was headed.

"...When I was seven, I got stuck alone in the house with him. And he made me go to his room, said somethin' about how good I was compared to my brother. That was... the first time he made me touch him. He got me ice cream after."

"Oh, _Jesus Christ_."

Kiyotaka covered his eyes as he cursed under his breath. It had, in fact, gone the route he'd hoped it wouldn't. When he peeked back out from between his fingers, he saw Mondo raising an eyebrow at him. The language was uncharacteristic for him, sure, but was now the time to be focusing on that? Mondo was shockingly calm for someone talking about something so traumatic.

"...I was just a little kid. I didn't really get it, but I felt guilty, so I didn't tell any adults. I thought _I'd_ get in trouble. My dad said other people 'wouldn't understand'. He'd, uh... caught me lookin' at one of the neighbor boys."

"...S-So he tried to make it out to be _your_ fault. Just because you liked boys?!"

"Yeah. He reminded me every time that my brother wouldn't get it, 'cuz he knew Daiya was the only person I trusted. I was _sure_ that if Daiya found out, he'd hate me n' think I was gross. So... I never talked."

Kiyotaka wanted to vomit. He was aware that these things happened. One couldn't watch the news without hearing stories. Wasn't there an entire _Law and Order_ about it? Kiyotaka wasn't so naive that he would refuse to believe Mondo. But hearing it directly from the mouth of a person that he had grown to care so deeply for was something else altogether. He'd never been so harshly confronted with this reality.

There are people out there who prey on children, Kiyotaka reminded himself, and they all too often get away with it. Because kids can't fight back.

"When the police eventually took us, my father yelled somethin' about nobody ever bein' able to love me if they knew. Daiya told him to go fuck himself n' dismissed it as drunken bullshit, but... I knew what he meant, n' it stuck.

"As I got older, I buried the memory. I didn't think it was fair to pretend I'd had it worse than Daiya. He'd always taken the most hits just 'cuz he was bigger. And he was workin' so hard to try n' make a life for us. I got pretty good at pretendin' it never happened. But..."

"Something like that never really goes away, does it?"

"No. It doesn't. ...See, I eventually hit puberty. N' puberty is when your hormones are ragin' and you start to _notice_ people more, right? For Daiya, it was girls, but for me... I started noticin' the other guys."

Kiyotaka nodded. He understood that much, because he still remembered how scary and confusing puberty had been for him, and how he'd thought he was sick until he understood that it was normal.

"I know. I went through something similar at that age."

"Right. ...It shouldn'ta been a big deal, but... every time I found myself attracted to another dude, it _really hurt_. I didn't think about what had happened, so I never put it together, but... I guess deep down, I thought if I admitted I was gay, then my father would be right. N' Daiya would hate me. N' then I wouldn't have anything."

"And that... eventually made you want to die." It made perfect sense, and somehow, it didn't make any sense at all. If he'd been in such a place, how did Mondo become who he was now? How was he able to talk about this so openly? He sounded serious, but there wasn't any tremor in his voice. "...But you did tell him. How did... how did he react?"

Mondo smiled, for some reason, as he recalled that confrontation. He chuckled at Kiyotaka's perplexed expression.

"It— It might not seem like anythin' to be smilin' about, but that was the day everythin' turned around. ...See, Daiya was fuckin' _furious_. But not like I'd expected. He... Well, he cried a whole lot, n' kept apologizing. He'd never realized, and he's my big bro, so he thought he'd failed me. Then he asked why I didn't tell him, 'cuz I shoulda known that he'd never turn his back on me. So I had to make _another_ admission, about the fact that I was gay, and..."

"...And he wasn't upset?"

"Oh, he _was_ upset. He was upset that he'd been tryin' to land me a girlfriend for no good goddamn reason. His exact words were somethin' like _if you'd'a just fuckin' told me, you woulda been knee-deep in cocks right about now!_ "

Kiyotaka couldn't contain the small burst of laughter that he released. He tried to hold it back, thinking that maybe Mondo didn't want him laughing right now. But Mondo patted his hand, and then they both laughed.

"That's... really crude, but it's also very supportive."

"Yeah, well. I'd say that's a pretty good description of the guy in general. He's always tryin' to find me a boyfriend."

Kiyotaka already knew that for a fact. And he also understood why Daiya had said what he said— he probably wanted to make sure that anyone Mondo was interested in knew not to take his history lightly, and to treat him with patience and compassion and respect.

"My parents rolled their eyes and said I'd get over it eventually."

"Fuck your parents." Mondo said that with no hint of enthusiasm or humor. Kiyotaka smiled sadly and looked at his own shoes.

"Yeah." Mondo seemed surprised to hear that coming from Kiyotaka, but he wasn't displeased. It was a step forward. Kiyotaka was finally acknowledging that they didn't deserve his respect. "S-So... What happened after that?"

Mondo noticed that Kiyotaka was shivering. What he was wearing had been more than warm enough for a crowded bar, but not for a windy cliffside at night. He removed his jacket— the leather one— and carefully wrapped it around the other man's shoulders. Kiyotaka made no attempt to refuse and pulled the garment tighter around himself. Mondo returned his gaze to the water.

"...After that, we left the gang. N' then we both committed to cleanin' up our acts n' gettin' me better. It... wasn't easy to do, n' it took time, but I'd say I'm doin’ pretty good these days. Used ta think I'd never be able t'live alone. I still miss havin' Daiya around all the time, but I'm okay. And I'm pretty fuckin' proud of that. Think I've earned that much."

"Yes," Kiyotaka agreed. "You have."

Mondo exhaled a long, heavy breath.

"...Anyway, that's the long answer to your question. I didn't just up and decide to be happy one day. I hadta hit rock bottom first, n' then I had to decide t'treat me better n’ do what had to be done."

"I... I-I understand." Kiyotaka could barely get the words out through a sob. Mondo looked surprised, and then he jostled Kiyotaka's shoulder in a playful manner.

"Fuck are _you_ cryin' about? It's my depressing backstory, not _yours_."

"I know, I know! I-I'm just... I'm _so sorry_ that those things had to happen to you."

"Don't be. Won't change nothin'. N' it doesn't define me. It's just somethin' that happened. Plenty'a people have been through shit you wouldn't even believe. People can... People can be so fuckin' terrible to each other, y'know?"

"...I know." Kiyotaka's heart twisted, for just a moment, at that very sobering thought. Human beings had a special capacity for cruelty that no one seemed entirely able to explain, much less fix. "I'm not claiming to be perfect, but... Sometimes I just don't understand."

"Yeah. I don't think anybody really does." He scratched the back of his neck, realizing that his bun was still tied up. He removed the band and shook the hair out. It fanned around his shoulders until he pulled it back again into a looser ponytail. "...Anyway, I'm done ramblin' on and on about the past. I just wanted ya to understand."

"T-To understand... _what_ , exactly?"

"Y'know... why I can't seem t'leave ya alone. You were always tellin' me to quit it with the advice and the coaxin', but I want ya to get that it's not like I'm just some impulsive thug who does whatever the fuck he feels like. I just... happen to understand how important it is to cut all the toxic shit outta your life. If ya don't, it might damn well kill ya. And... ya don't wanna die, do ya?"

Kiyotaka furiously shook his head. Of this, at least, he was certain.

"I don't," he croaked. "...I don't!"

"That's good. It's a start." Mondo tilted his head as if to get a better look at Kiyotaka. "I, uh... happen ta think we're pretty similar. In a lotta ways. Maybe that's parta why I like ya so fuckin' much. I dunno."

"How... How so?" Kiyotaka kept having to pause to sniffle or wipe his eyes, even if he wasn't openly sobbing anymore. Mondo had described the story he'd planned to tell as _heavy_ , and that was a more than appropriate word. It felt like a physical weight on his conscience. He understood that expression better. Mondo looked up at the stars, for just a second, to find the right words.

"You're where I was a long time ago, even if ya handle it different. You're at your breaking point, n' you're gettin' destroyed by your parents' bad decisions n' your own bad habits. You, uh... already told me some of the stuff ya said. At the bar. I know ya don't remember all that, though." He frowned. "I gotta admit... I didn't know it was _anywhere near_ this bad. I only started realizin' how deep in it ya really were when ya told me you were engaged. Maybe..."

He broke off, suddenly looking sheepish and blushing slightly. Kiyotaka edged a bit closer to him.

"You can say anything you want. It's okay."

"Maybe I shoulda been more honest," he blurted out. "If I had told ya even halfa this shit in the beginning— if I'd admitted to wantin' to help ya out for personal reasons insteada being so fuckin' vague and nosy— then maybe this wouldn't have happened in the first place. We coulda had this talk earlier. I shoulda tried t'get ya some help instead of just runnin' when ya told me to—"

"You didn't owe me that kind of an explanation! A-And I don't know that I would have been receptive to what you had to say. I... You've been consistently good to me and there for me for _months_ now. And I know you were never just flirting aimlessly! If I'd thought that, I wouldn't have told you that you'd see me again when we were at the rental place. I would have cut my ties then and there." Kiyotaka glared at the too-long sleeves of Mondo's jacket. "I... think that I needed to get to this point. I needed to hit rock bottom. It just never would have gotten through to me otherwise. You... You did everything you could, and it's my fault for being so stubborn."

"Y'might be right, but I wish ya coulda been spared. It's not a great place to be. I sure as hell don't miss it. But... it can get better."

" _How?_ " Mondo apparently hadn't expected to hear that question and raised an eyebrow. Kiyotaka rephrased it. "What do you think I should do?"

"Well, uh..." He scratched at his chin stubble. "First of all, I think ya gotta acknowledge the fact that your folks are abusive."

"You think they're _abusive?_ "

That seemed like a lot, coming from someone who'd been beaten and molested. Kiyotaka felt like he'd hardly been through anything by comparison. But Mondo nodded firmly. He meant what he was saying.

"I do. There's plenty'a different kinds. 'Cause there are plenty'a ways to hurt people. ...Your parents put their failures on you n' force ya into doin' what they want even when it almost gets you _killed_ , WHICH IT DID, and if ya complain they flip it around. That's _exactly_ what a narcissist is."

 _Narcissist_. Kiyotaka was vaguely familiar with the ugly word, and for a moment, he wanted to protest giving them such a harsh label. But he thought about it some more, and then he realized that Mondo was probably right. It seemed he would have to do some online research once he got home.

"...You're probably right. What else?"

"You'll start havin' to work at gettin' better. ...Look, I won't lie to ya. It's not gonna happen overnight. Ya gotta totally rewire your thinking. But there're treatments."

" _Treatments?_ " It seemed, to Kiyotaka, like a strange word to use. It wasn't like he had cancer or a broken arm.

"Yeah, y'know... ya gotta take better care of yourself first, n' then there's talkin' to a professional about it or joinin' a group. I did both for a while. N' I take meds for keepin' the anxiety under control. CBT worked fuckin' wonders, too."

"I don't know what _CBT_ stands for."

"Oh, it's, uh, it's cognitive behavioral therapy. Y'learn to trick your own brain, basically. It's hard, but it works. Now I've only gotta see somebody once every few months, just t'make sure the meds are still workin' and to check in."

"You want me to talk to a _therapist?_ " Kiyotaka laughed incredulously and hid his face. "I-I don't know about that. What if people find out and think I'm crazy?"

"I got a shrink. Am I crazy?"

"...N... No." Kiyotaka lowered his head in shame. "You're not, I just—"

"I know what ya meant. There's a stigma. But... if somebody fucks up their back, they go to a chiropractor. Y'need surgery, ya go to a surgeon. N' if your head is fucked, y'see a psychiatrist. ...It's just a doctor. No big deal."

"It just... sounds like a lot."

"Because it is."

"I-I don't know that I can handle this all by myself."

"Who said anythin' about goin' it alone? ...I told ya I'd look after ya, didn't I?"

"...You did." Kiyotaka smiled and gave the other man's hand a gentle squeeze.

"Y'know, for me, the thing I needed was structure and routine. Somethin' to make me feel like a decent guy. Findin' a hobby helped. I'm happier now than I've ever been. Got no regrets. ...You, though, you got a little _too much_ structure. Y'handle things different. You're a work-a-holic. You'll have to learn to relax n' find somethin' fulfillin' to do."

Kiyotaka felt that he understood, and this was very, very good advice. He sniffled and wiped the last of the water from his eyes. Then he looked at Mondo again, as something had just occurred to him. Something that was, perhaps, a small consolation for all of this.

"...Oh... Oh! Y-You said that your father's— not to bring him up again— you said that he's in prison, didn't you?!" Mondo had _also_ said that he had no intention of visiting him there, and that comment now made more sense than anything Kiyotaka had ever heard. "Does that mean he...?"

Mondo grinned a wide grin for the first time in a while. Kiyotaka was relieved to see that familiar expression. Something about this grin was different, though. It was the kind of smile that people like Mondo had earned.

"Yeah, they nabbed 'im for it. It was actually, uh..." He paused to mask a burst of laughter. "...I'll be honest. This is my _favorite fuckin' story_."

"Tell me! How did they get him?!"

"Well, my old man... he got ta walk around like anybody else for years, cuz Daiya and I didn't testify against him. But one day, by some stroke of fuckin' luck... He n' Daiya crossed paths in an auto store. ... _After_ I had told Daiya the whole truth."

" _Oooohhhhh_. ...Did he—"

"The way Daiya tells it, they locked eyes for a second. The guy workin' the counter said he could tell from the look on my brother's face that he wanted to kill 'im, and I guess my dad realized that he knew. He tried t'take off. Daiya caught up pretty easy. And _Lord_ , did he beat the ever-lovin' shit outta him. I wish ya coulda seen it. Motherfucker's face looked like a plum."

Kiyotaka allowed a grin of his own to take over his features. It was a childishly simple kind of justice, sure, but it was nice to know that there was at least some of it left in the world.

"I'm... guessing they didn't just let him kill him, though." Kiyotaka couldn't help sounding disappointed.

"Nah. Cops came n' broke it up. But Daiya told 'em why he'd done it, and... They were on his side, n' decided it was high time he got put away. I said I'd testify if it came to it, n' the cops gave him an ultimatum: he could confess n' go to prison, or he could continue to walk the streets, where Daiya could get to him at any time. Guess he figured he was safer in a jail cell. Hell, he's probably right."

"If you were in a place that you felt you could testify... How long ago was this?"

"About a year ago. ...I do kinda wish it had gone to court, though. Wish I coulda made him sit there and listen to me for once. I did see him real quick before they locked 'im up. Guy looked like he'd seen a ghost. I flipped him the bird."

Kiyotaka chuckled, linking an arm with Mondo's and giving it a squeeze. He felt Mondo lean into the touch.

"Good job."

"Thanks."

"H-Hey, um... Mondo?"

Once more, he looked pleased to hear Kiyotaka using his first name. He looked expectantly at him.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry." Kiyotaka huffed in a breath. His face was reddening. Mondo's eyes widened. "I've... judged you really harshly when I didn't know anything about you. I was unfair to you."

"Hey. Don't sweat it." Mondo smiled warmly. "I know what kinda front I put on, n' what I look like. People get the wrong idea pretty easy. People cross the street to avoid walkin' past me. Usually old ladies."

"S-Still—"

"It's alright. Y'don't gotta apologize. ...What do you wanna do for a livin', anyway? If you could do whatever. You've actually never told me."

Kiyotaka looked Mondo in the eyes. They were clear and calm.

"I-I want..." He'd thought the question was somewhat random and unimportant, but when he noticed that it was hard for him to force the words from his throat, he felt that it made sense. "I want... I want to be a teacher."

Mondo's smile widened.

"That's great. Sounds kinda perfect for ya."

"...You think so?"

"Hell yeah! You're plenty stiff enough."

Kiyotaka punched him in the side.

"Oh, shut up."

There was little excuse to stay like that for much longer. Kiyotaka focused on his breathing as he contemplated the totality of everything. He knew that Mondo was right— he needed help. Fixing this problem was beyond him. If anyone else had said it, he'd probably get mad, but Mondo had made it clear that he wasn't just some guy reprimanding him, and that he did genuinely care beyond the level that his mischievous flirtations had suggested. Mondo was speaking from experience. That meant something.

Kiyotaka's phone rang. He glanced at it, expecting to see that his parents were calling him, and he had every intention of dismissing the call. Instead, he saw Chihiro's name and contact picture.

"Fujisaki-chan?! Did everybody else go home, or—"

_"Where have you been?! I've been looking all over for you! Y-You just ran off, and I thought that you must have gone home, but your car is still here... Do you have any idea how scared I've been?! Y-Your father looks pretty bad, too!"_

Kiyotaka laughed nervously. He was glad that Chihiro couldn't see his face, or she'd know that he was proud to hear that he'd left a mark on Takaaki.

"I didn't mean to worry you. I thought that everyone would disperse. I just had to get out of there! You saw what happened."

"Izzat Chi?" Mondo asked, furrowing his brow. Kiyotaka nodded once he figured out that _Chi_ was supposed to be short for _Chihiro_.

"She didn't know where I went." He returned his attention to the phone. "Listen, I'm okay. Your friend Oowada actually came and got me."

 _"Y-You're—"_ Chihiro gasped, and when she next spoke, her voice was serious. _"You're with Oowada-kun?"_

"I am. He's right beside me. He took me somewhere—"

_"Give him the phone."_

"I'm sorry?"

_"Give him the phone!"_

The shock of hearing her shout a sharp command made him flinch.

"...Sh-She wants to talk to you." Kiyotaka timidly handed the phone over. Mondo's eyebrows raised, but he took it and lifted it to his ear as he also stood and took a couple of steps forward.

"Yeah, Chi?" Kiyotaka couldn't make out what she was saying. He stood and tiptoed closer, but even so, he couldn't quite tell. She didn't sound happy. Her voice was loud and scolding. Mondo was just laughing and shaking his head. "I AM behavin' myself! I was jus' bein' nice, is all!"

 _Oh my god_ , Kiyotaka realized just then. _She knows_. Chihiro knew that Mondo liked him. Somehow, everyone in the world had found out about that before he had. That was why Chihiro had talked about him so nicely, too. She, like his older brother, had been attempting to talk him up. He tried to focus on the current conversation instead.

"But anyway, we were just gettin' ready to head back— yeah, he's fine, I gave 'im my jacket. What are ya, his mom? ...Yeah, I'M fine, I'm wearin' a thermal. News said there'd be a cold snap. YES, my chest is covered. ...We're grown-ups. We're doin' fine. You go home and get some sleep, n' I'll get him home safe. Just make sure his dad ain't waitin' around. ...Okay. Got it. See ya at the gym."

Mondo hung up the phone and handed it back to its rightful owner, who shoved it into his pocket. Kiyotaka suddenly felt awkward and stared at his feet.

"W-We're, uh... heading back, then?"

"Prolly should. Chi says it's past your usual bedtime."

"You can have your jacket back—"

"Nah, keep it on for the ride. It's cold. Your dress shirt ain't gonna cut it."

Mondo would not be swayed on the matter. They got back on the motorcycle once more. The first ride had been scary, but Kiyotaka now felt that he was used to it. If anything, he was starting to think that it was fun. And Mondo's steady heartbeat was more calming to him than anything else.

"...I suppose I should go to bed as soon as I get home." Kiyotaka said this glumly when he found himself back at the bar, in front of the car he had left parked there. His father and his coworkers had left. Even Chihiro was nowhere to be seen. He yawned. Mondo gently patted his shoulder. "I just realized... if I'm going to talk this through with my parents, I'm going to have to apologize for punching my father."

Mondo groaned and rolled his eyes.

"...Yeah, probably. Guess it's not like one good sock in his face is gonna fix everything. Go ahead n' apologize if it's just t'get your foot in the door. N' then you can confront your mom, too. Y'don't hafta start a brawl or anythin', just... show some spine."

Kiyotaka didn't quite know how to respond. He moved to return the jacket, again, and Mondo shook his head.

"You can borrow it. It's cold out."

"I have heating in my car!"

"Yeah, but it takes a little while to start up, don't it?"

"...I suppose so."

Kiyotaka knew that he was willfully prolonging this exchange, and in truth, he had wanted to keep the jacket. It was warm, and it smelled like the other man's cologne.

He wanted, for just a moment, to kiss him. But that would be terribly selfish of him, wouldn't it? Now wasn't the time, and it was probably best that he figure out how he was feeling and talk about it first. Giving in to reckless impulses wouldn't do him any good. He thought of a different farewell, and he thought of something good. He signaled Mondo to wait, and then he fished for a couple of items in his glove compartment.

"I can't... find any paper! Just a pen..."

"Whaddya need paper for?"

"I-I wanted to... to give you my phone number. S-So you'll recognize the message."

"You could just drop text me."

"Huh?"

They stared at each other. Mondo smiled nervously, shook his head, and then pulled up the sleeve on one of his arms.

"Jus' write it here."

"...O-Okay."

Kiyotaka wrote his own number on the only remaining bare space of Mondo's right forearm, in large and easily legible numbers. Mondo allowed the ink to dry before he pulled the sleeve back over it.

"S-So... You can call whenever you want. I'll see you."

Though the situation of their last meeting had been almost completely reversed, it was still Kiyotaka who fled the scene. Mondo was laughing this time instead of watching him leave with a dejected look on his face.

He thought further on everything as he drove home in silence, with the radio turned completely off. There was a constant tug in his heart that he couldn't bring himself to observe closely enough to determine if it was painful or not. And when he got home and put himself to bed, he dreamed about Mondo again.

Not the x-rated and blatantly pornographic kinds of dreams he'd had in the beginning. This time, he dreamed of the two of them going on a daytime date on Mondo's motorcycle and having a picnic out by the water. He dreamed that Mondo managed to totally quit smoking, and that he was proud and congratulatory and greeted him when he got back to their shared home with a kiss on his forehead. He dreamed that they went out to adopt a kitten together to celebrate, and then they had a homemade dinner and put the dogs and their new cat to bed before they fell asleep, cuddled together in their bedroom.

It was a nice, peaceful dream, and for the first time in years, Kiyotaka had a nice, peaceful sleep.


	23. The Tanaka Empire Expands

Kiyotaka spent just about the whole of the next day pacing back and forth in his apartment.

He didn't have to go to work that day. He was grateful for that— the fact that he'd have some time to think before rushing back into the hectic office life. At the same time, he worried about what his coworkers would say about the incident and wanted to just get it over with.

He'd done some research on his laptop in his few moments of clearheadedness. He'd googled _narcissism_ and the therapy that Mondo had mentioned, and he felt he had a good enough logical grasp of the concepts. But there was a difference, of course, between knowing something and pushing oneself to act on it.

He decided that if he couldn't make any real progress just yet, he could at least relax. He knew that he had to learn to do that. So he retrieved the book that Chihiro had given him and that he hadn't had time to finish, made himself a cup of warm tea, and settled in to read.

Kiyotaka had gotten through a few chapters when he heard a knock at his door. He almost never got any visitors. He feared that it was one of his parents. He crept carefully to the doorway, where he made sure that the chain was fastened before he opened it just a crack.

"Kiyotaka! _Please_ let me in!"

"S— Sonia! Oh, thank god."

Kiyotaka laughed and breathed a sigh of relief. He'd been worried about her. He closed the door and undid the chain, allowing his former fiancée into the apartment. She gripped him in a bone-crushing hug as soon as the door was closed and locked behind her. Once again, she was talking too fast for him to understand anything she was saying.

He made her a second cup of tea and had her sit at the kitchen table with him. A couple of sips seemed to calm her down. He couldn't quite read her expression, as it was a mixture of so many conflicting things. She set down her cup before speaking.

"I have ruined everything, haven't I? I ruined our engagement!"

Kiyotaka smiled at her and shook his head.

"Technically, Gundham is the one who broke into your home. And I'm the one who admitted it was all a lie. ...Did you hear about that?"

Sonia giggled and politely covered her mouth.

"I certainly did! And I am quite proud. How hard did you hit him?!"

"Hard enough to leave a rather nasty bruise, apparently, but I didn't draw blood or knock any teeth out or anything. I only got in one punch."

"Oh. ...How disappointing."

"I know."

Sonia smiled down at her teacup for a moment.

"Still, I... cannot believe that it was all for nothing. Perhaps if I had been more firm with Gundham, he never would have come to get me, and we could have continued the charade long enough to break it off in a far less explosive and confrontational manner—"

"No," Kiyotaka interrupted. "I-It should never have..."

He paused to clear his throat. He couldn't help but feel ashamed when he thought about it now— the fact that he had allowed his fear of his parents to nearly ruin _both_ of their lives. It now seemed completely insane. It had been easier to see that when he was looking up at it from rock bottom.

"It never should have gotten so far," he continued. "It was absurd from day one. I-I mean, how far would we have carried it? What if we had just kept getting dragged further and further into it? Were we supposed to fake an entire marriage? A home? Children? If we'd gotten married, our families would have just changed the end goal. They would have started pressuring us to have kids next. And even if we had gone through with the plan and gotten the divorce, who's to say that they wouldn't have gone right back to their old routines and demanded we find new spouses?"

Sonia frowned.

"You are... probably correct in that guess. My mother had already started talking about what I should name my firstborn son. My people tend to rush childbirth in the same way that they rush courtships."

"I can't say I'm surprised to hear that."

There was silence for a lengthy minute. Sonia finished her tea. Kiyotaka's had gotten cold. He didn't feel like drinking it, anyway.

"Listen, Sonia... I can't promise when it will happen, but I'm planning to stand up to my parents sometime soon. And I wanted to encourage you to do the same. I know that it must be frightening, seeing as yours are so rich and powerful, and I know that you feel you owe them a great deal, but—"

"That is exactly what I came here to tell you."

"...Huh?"

Sonia smiled proudly. Something mildly devious flashed through her eyes.

"I left the mansion. And I managed to withdraw all of my own savings. It is all in cash for now, but I plan to put it into an account that my family cannot touch. Then I took about a third of my possessions— everything that I could fit into my bags— and I fled under the cover of night."

"You did _what?!_ "

Kiyotaka's shout was misleading. He wasn't angry. He was just shocked. He didn't know how she'd managed all of that so fast. But, perhaps, she'd been entertaining the fantasy of running away for so long that she'd already had a plan in place. Thankfully, Sonia seemed to understand what he'd meant and laughed it off.

"I know, I know. I decided as soon as I got the word of your tirade in the bar. I figured that if the ruse had been exposed anyway, there was no point in lying any longer. My parents were so busy arguing with yours about whose fault it was that they hardly paid me any mind. That is why I did not call you sooner... I have just barely gotten settled into my new home! I came as soon as I could. I wanted to tell you in person."

"I-I just... can't believe you beat me to the chase. All I did was punch my dad. ...You, uh, remember Mondo, right? He finally convinced me to rebel."

Sonia's smile, upon hearing that, was so wide and so warm that her eyes crinkled at the corners and her cheeks flushed.

"And you should listen to him. Your happiness is worth fighting for, even if it is frightening and seems impossible."

"You're right." Kiyotaka smiled sadly. Certain people that he knew had had to fight tooth and nail for their own happiness. It just didn't come easily to some people. "A-Anyway, you said that you left your home, so... where did you go?"

Sonia perked up, looking positively gleeful.

"The cabin in the woods, of course!"

"Gundham's?"

"Yes!"

"Is it big enough for the both of you?"

Her smile vanished for a barely-detectable second.

"I-It will take some getting used to on my part... most of my clothing is still in bags in the back of his van. There is no room for my purse collection, either, but..." She took a deep breath to resolve herself. "It is no matter! If I must, I shall gladly sell my clothing and my collection and add the funds to our animal rescue operations! We hope to turn the land that Gundham tends to into a full-service animal sanctuary. He already has pens for deer and rabbits and things, and a lovely series of fruit and vegetable gardens... With my money, we could construct barns and sturdy fences, and hire more veterinary staff and even install a sprinkler system!"

"You'd do all of that for him?"

She chuckled.

"That much should be obvious. I would not have left everything behind if I did not love him enough to sacrifice my shoes."

"And it's for a good cause, huh? ...You know, Mondo likes animals, too. He has four rescue dogs that he treats like babies. I'm sure he'd love to visit the sanctuary."

"He is more than welcome at any time! As are you, of course." She moved to put her teacup in the sink. She'd been to the apartment once before and knew how paranoid Kiyotaka was about keeping his place clean. "Oh— that is not the only thing I wanted to come here for... I realized, in the unpacking of my room, that I still have some of the gifts and things that you gave me. I would like you to have them. You may be able to get some of your money back. I also have a few of your jackets and sweaters."

Kiyotaka nodded. Normally, he would insist that she keep the presents, but they had been strange ceremonial gifts that neither of them had actually wanted to begin with and that he'd been forced to pay for anyway. What _is_ a makango, anyway? He still had no idea.

The jackets and sweaters were part of their romantic ruse— he had allowed her to wear them into her own home a few times to make it look like he was a doting and affectionate boyfriend. And she had held onto them to make it seem like she enjoyed having a piece of her beloved nearby. The only problem was that one of them was his favorite jacket. He had completely forgotten what he'd done with it.

"I let it slip my mind and left them in the van... I shall retrieve your things immediately and be back with great haste!" Sonia threw the apartment door open. She almost shrieked when she did. " _What are you—_ darling, I told you to wait in the car!"

"I was growing impatient and found myself curious about this place and the man within."

"I am terribly sorry to have worried you. We were discussing things. I forgot his things in the car..."

"I can get them. Spare yourself the effort."

"No, no. You will never be able to tell what is what."

Kiyotaka furrowed his brow as he eavesdropped on the conversation. It seemed that he had _two_ unexpected visitors, and in one day. Whoever Sonia was talking to had a deep and rumbling voice, the kind that sounded like it hurt the throat. And he'd thought that _Mondo's_ was low.

"Who's out there?" Kiyotaka called.

He stood and approached the doorway. He could easily see a tall figure looming over Sonia. One with a familiar purple scarf. The other man's eyes widened ever so slightly at the sight of him. Sonia looked between the two men, wordless, and then stepped aside and bowed. The man gave her a grateful nod before taking a couple of steps into the apartment while Sonia quietly closed the door.

"...Kiyotaka Ishimaru, I presume?"

"Yes. ...And you're Gundham Tanaka."

He grinned ferociously and bowed, gesturing at himself.

"That I am! Consider it a blessing that I shall allow you, a mere mortal, to address me as such."

Kiyotaka chuckled. Gundham was even more strange and dramatic in person than Sonia had led him to believe with her pictures and stories. But that was okay. He already knew that, beneath that exterior, he was a complete and total softie. The kind of person that nursed injured baby squirrels back to health while carrying them around in his scarf and bottle-fed milk to stray kittens.

He extended a hand. Gundham narrowed his eyes at it. Kiyotaka awkwardly put the hand back down.

"I've heard a lot about you," Kiyotaka said. "Congratulations on your escape together."

"...Yes. I... That is... Which is to say..."

Gundham's face reddened. Sonia patted his shoulder.

"You can do it, darling! Just be honest!"

Gundham sighed.

"I-I... owe you my highest gratitude," he blurted out.

"...Me?!" Kiyotaka pointed at himself. Gundham nodded.

"Indeed. Though the purpose of your ruse did escape my comprehension for quite some time, I... admire the lengths to which you were willing to go to protect my beloved. You did everything in your power to aid her, and for that, you have my utmost respect. If you are ever in need of anything, feel free to contact me."

Gundham extended his own heavily-bandaged hand, which trembled slightly. Kiyotaka smiled and clasped it firmly in his own. Sonia squealed.

"Thanks, Gundham. I appreciate it. ...Sonia is a very dear friend of mine, so take good care of her, okay?"

"You have my word."

The handshake lasted a little longer than it was probably supposed to. Kiyotaka didn't say anything about it. Gundham didn't seem like he was used to touching other people. He probably spent most of his time in the company of animals rather than human beings.

"Oh, how wonderful! I do so love to see my two favorite people getting along." Both Kiyotaka and Gundham laughed sheepishly at that. "Now, you two can get better acquainted while you wait— I shall go and retrieve Kiyotaka's things."

Sonia let herself out of the apartment and skipped down the hallway. Kiyotaka could hear her heels clicking against the floor. Gundham could, too, and waited until the sound was distant before he turned back to Kiyotaka.

"...How much stuff does she have in that van, anyway? She said you wouldn't be able to tell what's mine and what's not..."

Gundham shrugged.

"There is admittedly quite a bit. But that is largely because we successfully completed our heist."

"...Heist?" Sonia hadn't said anything about a _heist_. Gundham nodded, looking awfully proud of himself. He pounded his own chest with one fist.

"She made no mention of it? How surprising. ...I happened to have some extra luggage bags in my cabin. We returned to the Nevermind mansion, and she waited in the van, prepared to aid us in a hasty getaway, while I retrieved the rest of her possessions from her bedroom."

"You got all of her stuff?! How the hell did you get in?! You've got quite a proficiency for breaking and entering!"

Gundham chuckled darkly and tapped his forehead with one finger.

"I would not expect a mortal to comprehend the dark arts."

Kiyotaka shuddered and decided not to press the subject any further. He also figured that it wasn't _technically_ stealing to take back something that had belonged to Sonia in the first place.

"...I do have one regret about the way in which this occurred," Gundham said once he'd looked to the door and confirmed that Sonia was still outside. Kiyotaka's interest was immediately piqued.

"And what would that be?"

"Sonia threw her engagement ring into a lake near her home. I am certain that the action was cathartic for her, and that she would not have done so if she did not feel that it was necessary, but... I do not exactly have the funds to acquire a ring of the same quality for her."

"You wanted to use it to propose?"

It was a very quick engagement, technically, but Kiyotaka couldn't bring himself to label it unreasonable. Sonia had known Gundham, in some form, for a number of years, even if they'd only just begun formally dating, and Gundham plainly prioritized her happiness above all else.

Gundham only grunted his confirmation and cast his embarrassed gaze at the windows. The sun was setting in the sky, coloring everything with soft shades of orange and pink. Kiyotaka fiddled with his fingers as he thought on what to say, and it occurred to him just then that there was still something on his own finger.

"...O-Oh! I still have mine!"

Gundham frowned.

"Your _what?_ "

"My engagement ring." Kiyotaka quickly removed the piece of jewelry and held it out to show it to the other man. "I guess I've gotten so used to wearing it that it slipped my mind in all of the chaos. It might be a bit too masculine for her—"

"Not so, I'm afraid! I think it a bit too feminine for _you_." Gundham snickered. Kiyotaka glared at him.

"Hey! ...Sonia picked it out, and I picked hers. That's just how it works in her country." He shook his head, trying to stay focused on the subject at hand. "B-But, anyway... the ring doesn't actually matter all that much, does it? Sonia's leaving a mansion behind to live in a cabin with you. I think she can accept a small downgrade on her engagement ring."

Gundham hid his mouth and nose in his scarf, but continued to stare at the glittering piece of jewelry in Kiyotaka's hand. He was lost deep in thought and didn't speak for several seconds.

"...You would allow it?"

"Of course I would!" Kiyotaka moved forward and forcefully placed the ring in Gundham's unwrapped hand. He closed the man's fingers around it. "It... It's perfect, I think. We can turn a mistake into a good thing. She'll appreciate the symbolism."

Gundham nodded, very slowly, in understanding. Just then, he caught onto a sound that Kiyotaka couldn't hear. He gestured wildly at something.

"Act natural," he hissed.

Only seconds later, the doorknob twisted and Sonia re-entered the apartment. She was carrying a small duffel bag.

"I apologize for the delay! Sorting through the luggage took more time than I had anticipated, but I did find everything. I hope that the two of you behaved yourselves while I was gone."

"O-Oh, we did! We were just getting to know each other." Kiyotaka took the bag from her and wasted no time unpacking the things into his room. He ran back and returned the bag to a bewildered-looking Sonia.

"That was... very quick—"

"Gundham wants to ask you something."

Gundham opened his mouth to protest. Kiyotaka shook his head. _It's now or never_ , he said with his eyes. He happened to think that doing it now would be very romantic. And as selfish as it sounded, he wanted to watch. He wanted to be there for Sonia in what could very well be the most significant moment of her life. So he and the other man had a wordless argument for only a minute before Gundham swallowed thickly and dropped, rather unceremoniously, to one knee.

"Oh my _god!_ "

Sonia, unsurprisingly, burst into tears almost immediately and covered her mouth with her hands. It hadn't taken her long to catch on. Gundham somewhat shyly offered her the ring, and when he opened his mouth, no sound came out. He was, apparently, a bit shy.

"...Sonia Nevermind."

"Yes?!"

"...Will you..." Gundham choked halfway through the question and took a moment to clear his throat, starting over. Kiyotaka quietly assured him from the sidelines that this was okay. "...Will you marry me?"

Sonia didn't technically say "yes". It was some kind of ear-shattering, indecipherable shriek. Kiyotaka nearly covered his ears out of nothing more than basic human reflex. Her answer was apparent enough, though, and she dropped to the floor and wrapped her arms around her new fiancée so tightly that he seemed to struggle for breath. Kiyotaka laughed.

It took several minutes for the emotion to pass and for everyone to reach a point where they could form actual words.

"Why are _you_ crying?!" Gundham asked accusingly as soon as he was able to speak, jabbing Kiyotaka in the chest with a sharp finger.

"People keep asking me that," Kiyotaka croaked. He didn't offer any other answer, but did wipe his eyes.

Sonia, meanwhile, admired the newly-placed ring on her finger. The small diamond sparkled as it reflected the last remaining rays of sunlight.

"I suppose that I am getting married after all," she laughed. "You, of course, are invited. ...Oh, oh! Will you be my maid of honor?!"

Her eyes watered, and she squeezed the life out of Kiyotaka's hands as she awaited a response. Kiyotaka and Gundham exchanged a somewhat confused glance— wasn't the maid of honor supposed to be a woman?— but Kiyotaka gave her a thankful nod anyway. She seemed happy with the response.

Sonia danced about the room and rattled off ideas about what kind of dress she wanted to wear while Gundham tried to get his cheeks to return to a normal color. Kiyotaka stared at the floor as he imagined the wedding, and then he piped up with a burning question that he had.

"Th-This might be awfully presumptuous of me, and I know that I'm getting pretty far ahead of myself, but... if I'm coming to the wedding, can I have a plus one?"

Sonia blinked at him until she understood what he was saying, and then she giggled and waved a dismissive hand.

"You may bring whoever you wish to, Kiyotaka! ...We have no need of silly things like paper invitations and reserved seating anyhow. _Our_ wedding..." Her gaze became distant, and then her eyes gleamed and and she assumed a proud, authoritative stance. "Our wedding shall be small, inexpensive, and nontraditional! Invitation shall be by word of mouth alone, there shall be no reserved seating, and there shall be no dress code or gift registry!"

"A splendid idea," Gundham replied, sounding more serious and impressed than boastful. "If we aim not to spend absurd amounts of money and have no need of a formal venue, perhaps we... can have it at the sanctuary? Near that waterfall that you love so much."

Sonia loved that idea. She and Gundham see both on a roll now. Sonia suggested that, instead of hiring a caterer, Gundham could just hold a cookout and make his vegetarian barbecue for everyone. Kiyotaka didn't comment on the fact that "vegetarian barbecue" was an oxymoron. Synthetic meat, maybe? It wasn't surprising to him that the man didn't eat meat, though. Kiyotaka added his own idea— that the two of them ask for donations for the animals instead of gifts— and was well-received.

Another hour was spent like that— celebrating, just the three of them, and exchanging ideas. It was dark outside by the time that the happy couple left. Sonia promised that she'd call him with more details soon. It seemed that she really did intend for him to be her maid of honor.

Kiyotaka smiled at the door as his apartment was enveloped in the familiar sound of silence. He was glad that Sonia was moving forward with her life, and he was delighted for her and for Gundham in regards to their future wedding.

But more importantly than that, their open affection for one another had made something very clear to him:

He really, _really_ wanted to hear Mondo's voice right now. And he was learning, very slowly, not to worry about what that meant.


	24. Confess it to the Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to have this up earlier and it's been sitting almost-finished for a day or two, but I got distracted with the beginning of my slow descent into Voltron hell. Please keep me in your prayers— I've just finished season one and I already love Keith to an unreasonable degree :'D to make up for the delay, though... This is probably the single most fluffy and corny thing I have written to date, so there's that.

It was pitch-black outside by the time Kiyotaka managed to work up his nerve.

It was past his usual bedtime, and he'd gotten changed into his pajamas and curled up in his bed. He stared at the phone screen for a long minute, hand trembling with anticipation. For a second, he thought about giving up, and a voice in the back of his head told him that he would be a bother if he called. But he took a deep breath, chased that voice away, and clicked the call button.

The phone rang only once. _Of course_ Mondo would pick up right away.

_"Holy shit, is that actually you?"_

"...I-It is," Kiyotaka admitted, embarrassed. His lip quirked up at one corner despite himself at Mondo's feigned shock. He heard the other man laugh.

_"Well, 'm glad. I was just thinkin' about ya. It's nice t'hear your voice, even if I can't actually see ya."_

Kiyotaka, for one, was glad that Mondo couldn't see him at this exact moment, because he gulped and felt his face turn bright red. He'd forgotten that people's voices tended to sound lower and a bit raspier over the phone, and that the inability to see the other person often let the imagination run wild. Mondo sounded _really sexy_ , and the compliments weren't helping. That irritating little voice reminded him that since Mondo couldn't see him, he'd have no way of knowing what Kiyotaka was doing on his end. Kiyotaka gathered his mental defenses and told that voice to shut up and quit being such a pervert all the time.

"What, um... What are you doing right now?" He asked. Mondo snickered.

 _"What are you wearing?"_ Kiyotaka didn't answer that question and glared at the receiver. _"...Kidding. I'm just kidding."_

"Were you really?!"

_"I was just gettin' ready to put the dogs to bed, actually. Everybody had dinner. I've got this fuckin' massive closet offa the kitchen, n' I'm not somebody with a ton of stuff, so we turned it inta their bedroom."_

Kiyotaka laughed.

"The dogs have their own bedroom?"

 _"They sure do. I keep all their supplies in there, too, 'sides the food n' treats. They've each got a little nook for their beds. ...Peanut never uses hers, though. She always gets in Phoebe's bed."_ Mondo's voice, when he said "Peanut", was louder and somewhat scolding. Kiyotaka imagined him shooting the chihuahua a look out of the corner of his eye. Somewhere in the background, a collar jingled.

"Is it hard to get them to go to bed?"

 _"Sure, sometimes. But they get plenty'a activity durin' the day, so they usually fall asleep pretty quick."_ Kiyotaka heard Mondo's footsteps for a moment or two, and then a small grunt as he likely sat down _. "So, uh... what did ya wanna talk about?"_

Kiyotaka's face turned an even more shocking shade of red, and just when he'd recovered.

"I-I... I'm not actually sure?"

Mondo laughed.

_"That's fine. Y'can call me whenever ya want, no reason necessary. ...Anythin' happen today?"_

Kiyotaka snorted. _Anything_ , indeed.

"...Sonia just left a couple of hours ago. With that other man. She ran away from her family and is living with him now. He runs an animal rescue in the woods. They, uh... got engaged, actually! I let them use my old ring. Sonia wants me to be her maid of honor, whatever that means."

 _"Sounds like you've had a pretty eventful evening! And ya didn't even hafta crash your car or punch anybody."_ Had Mondo made that comment about a week earlier, Kiyotaka might have gotten angry. Now, though, he just laughed it off. _"Y'said he runs a rescue... That's great. If he ever needs any mechanical help, tell 'im to give me a call, alright?"_

"I'll do that. I... told them both that you'd probably like to visit. ...What did you do today?"

_"Me? ...I was in the truck for a while, did some repairs for customers, n' then I got offa work early enough to have lunch with Akane n' the guy she's seein'... Wanted t'meet him in person n' make sure he's good enough for her. She's had some real losers— ya know how it is. Men can be the fuckin' worst."_

Kiyotaka groaned and rolled his eyes. He was all too familiar with that reality. He'd tried using a "dating app", which would remain nameless, for about two hours once. _Never again_. He'd been frightened away from online dating as a whole.

"They certainly can be," he agreed.

_"Yeah. This one seems like a hell of a guy, though, so I'll step aside n' let them do their thing. He's her instructor down at the community center, actually. She takes advanced kickboxing classes there."_

"Is he really, REALLY huge, by any chance? With an intense aura?" Kiyotaka remembered Akane being with such a man when he'd run into her near the bar, and he had never gotten an answer as to who that guy was. He'd been too busy fleeing to ask for introductions.

_"That... sounds like him, yeah. Didja meet 'im somewhere?"_

"He was with her when she caught me running from the bar and called you. I only spoke to him once, and it was because he called me out on a blatant lie. I had said that I was in a hurry to get somewhere, and he then reminded me that I had just told Owari-san that I was only taking a walk. I was less than pleased with him at the time, but I suppose he was trying to help."

Mondo laughed brightly at the story.

 _"Yep, that's the guy, alright. He can tell when Akane's worried. Probably wanted t'help her get to the bottom of things."_ Kiyotaka could hear Mondo's smile in his voice. _"It's... pretty cute, I gotta admit. Down at the center, they do all kindsa classes n' shit. Akane grew up pretty rough, n' fightin' has always been her way of gettin' the frustration outta her system, so somebody suggested she take a proper class insteada startin' brawls. But this poor instructor— he said she was always beggin' him to stay after class and spar with her. N' then she'd go at him with everythin' she had and just laugh and laugh while she was throwin' punches."_

"And that somehow led to a relationship?!"

_"Guess that's just how Akane flirts? I don't fuckin' get it, either, but she was real excited about findin' a strong opponent. Guess it turned into a little crush at some point n' blew up from there."_

Kiyotaka had been smiling as he contemplated the surprising innocence of the story, but frowned as his brain snagged on a particular detail.

"...You said that Akane had a rough upbringing?"

_"Yeah."_

"Even by, er, your standards?"

Kiyotaka hoped that his phrasing didn't come across as rude, but it was a valid question. If _Mondo_ was saying that someone else had had a really unpleasant childhood, it was probably horrific. He was somewhat curious, but he wouldn't ask for specifics— he hardly knew the woman and it wasn't any of his business. Mondo didn't answer right away.

_"...Yeah. She kinda knows about what happened, real vaguely, 'cuz we sorta have a lot in common in terms of fucked-up households... Y'go out drinkin' with somebody enough times and ya tend to get into that kinda shit eventually. She's less private about it than I am, so she probably doesn't mind me mentionin' it, but it's not pretty. She's a tough broad, though. Ya don't gotta worry about her."_

"You think she's alright?"

_"Oh, I know she is. She's got trouble askin' for help sometimes and doesn't want people to think she's weak, n' she does have quite a fuckin' temper, but hey, everybody's got somethin'."_

There was a pause. Kiyotaka squeezed his eyes shut. Something was now tugging at the back of his mind, and he wanted to address it before he allowed _this_ , whatever it was, to get any further than it already had. He swallowed, and the words came out as a squeak before he gathered himself and tried again.

"M-Mondo, can I ask you something kind of strange?"

_"Yeah, sure, whatever. Go ahead."_

"Are you absolutely sure that you're okay with all of this?"

_"What? ...'Course I am, ya fuckin' dork. I know the situation's kinda crazy, with the way your family is and all, but—"_

"Th-That's not what I meant. I mean, er..." Kiyotaka cleared his head with a deep breath. "You've been pursuing me for a while now. You said it yourself. You, um, want to take me out. And you've said that you're attracted to me. I admitted that it was mutual. Are you... hoping for a relationship? Something long term?"

_"Well, yeah. I woulda given up on that a long time ago if I didn't, right? I thought that much'd be kinda obvious by now. ...Even if you’re romantically dense."_

"Right. Right. S-So your intention is for this to become something that lasts a long while, in which case it would eventually entail... certain _things_... Are you _okay_ with all of that? I need to know."

Mondo was silent for a second, and then chuckled in a strangely lighthearted way.

_"Taka, I... I'm fine. I didn't tell ya about all of that shit so y'could waste your time worryin' about it or feelin' sorry for me. That's not what I need from anybody. I got it under control. I'm honestly really happy, like I said, I just... I gotta keep up with the meds n' the shrink and all so I can make sure it stays that way n' I don't form any bad habits. It's always gonna be hard sometimes, but a lotta people are in the same boat."_

"R-Right. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come across as condescending! I just—"

_"Nah, I get it. Y'don't want me jumpin' inta somethin' I'm not ready for. ...For what it's worth, I've dated. I'm comfortable bein' gay, and I've slept with people. Had hookups, even. I mean... I didn't wanna be single forever. Hadta get it outta the way at some point. Daiya's always fuckin' setting me up with people, too, for better or worse. The guy won't just lay off."_

"Does he? ...That's nice of him."

They spent another ten minutes talking about his and Mondo's dating history, mostly about the most awkward first dates Mondo had gone on because Daiya didn't always know how to properly vet someone before setting them up with his brother.

Apparently, if Mondo was ever hesitant to approach another man and start up a conversation, Daiya would march right over and ask the target, point blank, if he was "inta dudes". And if the answer was a _yes_ , Daiya would try and sell his brother to them as best he could. Sometimes it worked. Other times, Mondo ran off out of sheer embarrassment. Even when he told those stories, though, there was a clear affection in his tone. Kiyotaka couldn't help but feel a little bit jealous of the bond that Mondo had with his brother.

Somewhere in the middle of the talk of past romances, Kiyotaka got a bit distracted thinking about future date ideas. Mondo's bike had been fun once he'd gotten used to it. Cruising through the countryside with him would be nice. They could ride down to the beach, take a walk together, barefoot, in the sand...

Kiyotaka groaned slightly, a high-pitched and whining sound, as his ribcage felt tighter and tighter. Mondo stopped talking at the sound of it. Kiyotaka was getting sleepy now, and he was a little too comfortable talking to the other man like this, and he was feeling compelled to say the silly kinds of things that he'd normally talk himself out of saying. Logic was no longer on his side, and without it, all he had was the longing ache in his chest.

"...Mondo?"

_"Mm?"_

"I think I'm falling in love with you."

A long silence. Mondo's breaths were slow and heavy. Kiyotaka feared, for a moment, that he'd said too much, that it was too serious too soon, and that Mondo would be scared away. That fear was chased away by a small burst of breathy laughter, high and light and soft.

_"Y'think, huh? ...If you're thinkin' it, then it's probably too late."_

"H-How would you know?!"

_"Because I'm already in love with you."_

It was Kiyotaka's turn to be stunned into silence. His lips parted. He stopped breathing for a second.

"That... Th-Tha— That's impossible."

_"Why? 'Sides, it's not like I said it first—"_

"Because we hardly know one another! I-I mean, we're not even a couple!"

 _"...I think we know each other better than you'd like to admit. I told you things I've never even told my brother, and I wouldn't do that for no reason."_ Mondo's usual word-slurring and profanity had suddenly disappeared. He was making an effort to speak clearly and honestly. _"You told me your whole life story. And we've practically been on a few dates. ...I know more than enough about you to know that I love you. That's been true for a long time."_

Kiyotaka huffed in a breath. His eyes were already watering.

"...Since when, exactly?"

_"Want me to be honest? ...Completely?"_

Kiyotaka's face was growing hotter by the second. The voice on the other end of the line was dripping with sincerity and fondness. He'd never had someone talk to him like that. Never.  
  
"Yes. I want to know," he answered. He meant it, even if something about it was strangely terrifying. ...Was _terrifying_ the right word?

_"Well, you seem to think that everything started in the bar. You don't remember much of that, but we had a great time. And maybe it doesn't really count because you were drunk, but YOU started the flirting, not me. I didn't want to take advantage of the situation or anything."_

Kiyotaka hid his face in his free hand out of embarrassment. He knew that he had a tendency to get too clingy when he was drunk, but he hadn't known that he turned openly flirtatious (even if both Akane and Chihiro had hinted at it). It would certainly explain a few things— Mondo had been awfully presumptuous in the beginning, like he knew for a fact that Kiyotaka found him attractive despite his claims to find him annoying. He'd acted that way because he _did_ know, to some degree.

"I... I'm sorry. I didn't know that. I apologize if I was too forward with you. But why do you mention it?"

_"Because it started before the bar. On my end, anyway. I'd actually, uh... kinda been admiring you from a distance for a long time."_

"...What?!"

No. No, no, that wasn't possible. Kiyotaka travelled back in his mind, back to the few times he'd encountered Mondo before the drunken incident. They seemed so distant and so terribly unremarkable now that he'd almost forgotten it had happened at all.

_"Think about it. We run into each other at the store and the gym, and sometimes on the sidewalk or in restaurants. Why would that suddenly start happening so often right after the bar thing? We've always crossed paths. You probably just didn't notice."_

Kiyotaka continued to recall as much as he could— he _had_ noticed. He just hadn't given it much thought. Those early, fleeting glances and idle conversations by the cash register had been lost somewhere in the truck rides and the tattoo parlors and the motorcyle rescues. Why would he think about something so unimportant?

Or... he supposed, now, that those meetings hadn't been unimportant. Not for Mondo, anyway.

"You're saying... that you wanted to ask me out back then?"

There was a very short pause, and Kiyotaka heard a quick scoff and a curse before Mondo spoke again. He'd probably nodded, and then realized that Kiyotaka couldn't see him. It was unexpectedly cute of him.

_"...Well, yeah. I thought you were really cute, and you always seemed so full of determination. Like you had this energy pulsing off of you. Seeing you, even from a distance, always cheered me up. And I wanted to talk to you, but... I don't know. You just seemed out of my league, and I couldn't work up the nerve to go over there. Since you looked so smart and professional and all. I-It's always harder with men... if you guess wrong, and they're not gay, they tend to get really mad. I've had that happen."_

"I-I have difficulty imagining you ever being too scared to approach somebody!"

It was the only protest that Kiyotaka could think of at the moment. It just didn't sound right. Mondo was overtly seductive and a little too casual, wasn't he? He wasn't a nervous sort, was he? Mondo laughed like Kiyotaka had told a bad joke.

_"You'd be surprised. I get nervous in the beginning if I like somebody enough. That's why Daiya's always storming in on my behalf. It's... better than it used to be, though. I used to yell whenever I got nervous. It scared the hell out of a lot of people and cost me more than a few dates. ...A-Anyway, I started out too scared to say anything, but... then, you just went and fell right into my lap. Kind of literally. And I'll be honest— once I'd realized you weren't trying to kill yourself, I felt like the luckiest guy in the world."_

Kiyotaka did not respond. He didn't have any words, because this was beyond what he had expected and anything he had ever experienced. Mondo left him a pause, and when he had registered the silence, he continued.

_"Once you had gotten all the venting out of your system, we spent that whole night talking and laughing and dancing around like idiots, and you let me take care of you and told me all about yourself. I got you rambling about books at one point, and Jesus, that was cute. You were just so intense about it. And when you talked about your family and how unhappy you were, I felt like I understood you, and it fleshed you out. I wanted to make you happy. ...And then, towards the end of the night, when I told you that I had gotten you a ride home, you gave me this squeeze and said something about wanting a nice boyfriend like me, and said that my cologne smelled nice, and... Well. It was too late for me at that point. I totally knew I was screwed."_

"...But you didn't come after me right away! You waited until I actually looked at and spoke to you." He was referring to their reunion in the noodle restaurant, when Mondo had confirmed his identity as his mysterious rescuer.

_"I did. I mean, you were drunk. I wasn't sure how much of that was genuine. So I chatted you up at the restaurant, and all the stuff I had liked about you was the same. It was just hidden behind a flimsy barrier. And then you just so happened to call up my tow truck. At that point I just figured it was destiny. Had to be, right? ...I just liked talking to you, anyways. Even if you didn't feel the same way about me, I could at least... Y'know. Be there. Give you a hand if you needed it. That would've been enough for me."_

Kiyotaka's normal impulse would be to shut such a claim down, but Mondo had already proven that it was true. When Kiyotaka had broken things off between them, Mondo had politely withdrawn, even when it was obvious that it was killing him to do so. He respected Kiyotaka's boundaries.

"...That's... This is..."

He didn't know when he'd started crying, and he wasn't yet sure what emotion was fueling the tears. They were, at the very least, quiet and dignified. He wiped the water from his eyes with the back of one hand.

 _"It's a lot, I know,"_ Mondo finished. _"Probably wouldn't have said anything if ya— if you hadn't asked me. ...Look, I know you have a lot of other things to sort through right now, so—"_

"You don't have to talk like that! J-Just... You've done enough. I don't need you to try and impress me."

There was a sigh of relief. Mondo's voice had started to sound strained with the effort of forcing down his own accent. He'd been censoring himself, too.

 _"...I know you've got a lotta shit to figure out."_ Kiyotaka chuckled at the immediate switch in terminology. _"So there's no pressure on ya. If ya don't want me, then that's that. N' if ya just need time, then... guess I'll wait."_

"How long?"

_"Long as ya need me to."_

"You can't possibly mean that."

_"I can and I do. It's no big deal. ...I've had plenty of cheap thrills. They almost fuckin' killed me, remember? Slow n' quiet... It ain't so bad. So yeah, I can wait, especially if the payout is worth is. N' you're more than worth it."_

Kiyotaka wouldn't, _couldn't_ address that last remark directly. Mondo yawned. His voice had gotten more quiet and slow. He was, very evidently, tired. Kiyotaka had kept him up far later than he'd intended.

"I-I should let you go to sleep. I didn't mean to keep you so long. I'll, um... talk to you again soon. Hopefully once I have everything figured out."

_"Lookin' forward to it. ...Hey. Stay handsome, okay?"_

Kiyotaka smirked involuntarily.

"Okay. You too. Goodbye, Mondo."

_"Night."_

There was a click. Kiyotaka didn't lower the phone right away. Were this some sitcom featuring a teenage cast, they'd currently be engaged in the clichéd battle of demanding that the other hang up first, but, unfortunately, they were both adults with bedtimes and jobs. The conversation ended almost as abruptly as it had begun.

A quiet _ding_. Kiyotaka had received a text message containing a picture. It was of a darkened walk-in closet, where four dogs were bundled up and sleeping in their beds, the chihuahuas smushed together in one bed, just as Mondo had said they would be.

The caption read "make sure to have sweet dreams".

Kiyotaka was certain that he would have no trouble with that.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AKANE AND NEKOMARU IS AN UNDERRATED AND REALLY WHOLESOME PAIRING SO HERE YA GO, MORE ON THAT. I kinda like the backstory I came up with a little too much!! It's pretty much exactly what Mondo said. Akane signs up for the advanced class, finds that Nekomaru is the first real challenge she's had in a long time, and starts demanding that he stay late and fight her almost every single time. Nekomaru's really impressed that she can actually wear him out and gives her pointers, sort of hoping that she can surpass him someday. Next thing either one knows, they've had lunch together a few times and regularly meet up to train and work out together. Akane mentions this to Mondo, and he encourages her to go for it. The rest is history!
> 
> Also Akane's history is just. Well. Her literal canon history that she tells you about and alludes to. She pretty much tells you that she's from a giant dirt-poor family in a very dangerous high-crime neighborhood where she fears for her safety and has to run away from perverted older guys on a daily basis, and that line about her "mom's lovers" when she's on Hajime's shoulders is actually REALLY DARK... I think she's a fascinating character once you complete her FTEs and understand why she is the way she is. I feel like a lot of people don't do her justice!
> 
> (Taka DID NOT create a Grindr account shortly after leaving his home town for college because he was lonely and horny. It never happened and he will deny it until the day that he dies.)


	25. Leave it Behind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONTENT WARNING: this is a weirdly specific one, but I can see that this would be easily triggering to certain people, so I figure I should warn just in case. This chapter is the Taka versus Parents showdown, and it contains an example of gaslighting, a common emotional abuse tactic often used by narcissists. It's basically denying reality and making someone doubt their own memory, resulting in forcing the victim to apologize for having been wronged while the abuser gets to lament how hurtful it is that their victim would ever accuse them of wrongdoing.

Three slow, grueling days passed.

Kiyotaka had to return to work, and doing so meant cleaning up the mess he'd made. The incident at the bar had caused quite a stir among his coworkers. Some of them had used the opportunity to try and steal his promotion out from under him, insisting that it was proof that Kiyotaka could not be trusted under pressure. His supervisors seemed to disagree, but only just barely. He was warned that if he ever caused such a commotion again, they'd have no choice but to fire him. Kiyotaka grimly accepted that fact.

Chihiro seemed more worried about him than ever. He caught her following him around and stealing glances at him when he went to use the coffee pot in the break room. She dragged him along with her for lunch, not offering him any chance to refuse her invitation. A coworker who saw the exchange started laughing.

"You're wasting your time, Fujisaki-san. He's gay, remember?"

The office filled to the brim with mocking laughter. Chihiro squeezed Kiyotaka's hand tighter in hers and shot the man who'd spoken up a look that could instantaneously slaughter cattle.

" _Shut up_ ," she spat.

At that, the office fell completely silent. Kiyotaka didn't know whether to be proud, embarrassed, or terrified.

Kiyotaka was called to his boss' office on Wednesday evening, just before he was supposed to be headed home. His boss told him that he would be given his first major project soon, and that he'd have to show up earlier than ever the next morning to meet with everyone about it. He reminded Kiyotaka that he was on thin ice. Kiyotaka gave only a nod before he fled the building and raced to his car.

It had taken him several apologetic phone calls (and apologizing had made his stomach turn), but he'd convinced his parents to have dinner with him. They were expecting him at their home— a mansion, really— and wouldn't tolerate any tardiness. They insisted on treating the dinner like Kiyotaka's opportunity to make it up to them, even though it should have been the other way around. Kiyotaka breathed carefully as he drove, remembering what Mondo had said. The ruse of an apology was only to get his foot in the door. Nothing more. His parents would shut the conversation down before it could begin if he didn't act sufficiently respectful.

He rang the doorbell, and then he stood stiffly and straightened his tie as he waited for the door to open. His mother answered it. Her expression didn't seem welcoming in the slightest— she looked more like someone annoyed with having to constantly refuse the same door-to-door salesman than someone looking at their beloved son. Kiyotaka understood that now. She wasn't just tired, which was the excuse he'd been making for her for all these years. A glare like that was intentional. It had to be.

"You're late."

He wasn't. He had been exactly on time. It had taken Satsuki at least two minutes to answer the door, which was no fault of his. Rather than pointing this out, Kiyotaka inhaled sharply and bowed, biting his tongue.

"I apologize. May I come in?"

Satsuki didn't answer him in words. She just swung the door open wide enough for him to enter. He made his way to the dining room, found the chair that had always been his, and hung his suit jacket from the back of it. Three plates of food sat on the table, already prepared, alongside glasses of what looked to be wine. Takaaki glared across the table at Kiyotaka as he took his seat. He was in the process of cutting his steak.

"Kiyotaka. Nice of you to show up. We were certain that your food would get cold and go to waste."

 _Ha. Going to waste? You've suddenly forgotten what a freezer is?_ Kiyotaka bit back a comment about Tupperware— _remember when you used to make me eat leftovers of the food that had made me feel sick even though it looked to be growing mold, and then called me ungrateful for the fact that you had provided me with any food at all?_ — and lowered his head, trying to look serious without looking openly spiteful.

"I'm sorry for the delay. It was, er... Traffic."

"Aren't you going to thank your mother for the food?"

Satsuki sat down just then, and she looked expectantly at him. Kiyotaka could only manage an awkward laugh for a moment.

"R-Right. Thank you, mom. It looks delightful."

It was always like this.

No matter what he said and no matter what he did, his parents seemed openly annoyed with him. He was expected to somehow read their minds and know exactly what they wanted him to say and when. And even if he remembered everything and performed the way they'd always pushed him to, they couldn't express any happiness. They had to search for some new standard that he had somehow failed to meet. It would never end. He finally understood this. He could become the most successful man in the world, and his mother would still complain about the patterns on his ties, and his father would still nag him about his investments.

He just couldn't appease them. Not now, and not ever.

As soon as the dinner began, so, too, did the interrogation. He had to explain everything about the scam that he and Sonia had been running together over the last few months, starting from the very beginning. Sonia had gotten away before she could be questioned at length. Which meant that the Neverminds, too, were expecting him to fill in the blanks. It was a lot of pressure. The words kept sticking to the inside of his throat and the roof of his mouth.

Telling the whole story took him a long time, as his parents insisted on constantly interrupting him to shout at him or scoff and roll their eyes. It took everything he had not to throw the glass of wine in their faces. He tried to focus on the fact that this might be the last time he had to endure this. By the time he had finished explaining everything, his parents looked more disappointed in him than ever. He hadn't thought that possible.

Once he'd told the whole of the tale, the detailed questions started. He was asked about everything from the rings to the content of his and Sonia's "dates". He even had to admit to the fact that he and Sonia had rehearsed their little kiss for Mrs. Nevermind. That, somehow, was the most embarrassing bit. Because it had actually been the first and only time he'd ever kissed a girl.

The scolding didn't last quite as long as Kiyotaka had expected it to. It wasn't necessarily a good thing. It was as if Takaaki and Satsuki were too disappointed and tired to bother. Instead, Satsuki moved on to the topic of what Kiyotaka would have to do to earn her trust back. Kiyotaka tried not to laugh.

"That you would strike your own father... As many times as you apologize, I still cannot believe that you would do such a thing," she eventually said after a long pause. "What were you thinking?"

Satsuki sneered at her son. Kiyotaka's hand slipped in the process of finally cutting into his now-cold steak. He'd never liked that look. It always made him feel nervous, or like bugs were crawling all over his skin. It made him want to climb into a hole somewhere and hide. But he couldn't do that now— he had to be resilient.

"...With all due respect, mother, I was acting in some form of reflexive self-defense," Kiyotaka explained. "I know that doesn't justify my actions, but—"

"What are you talking about?"

Takaaki's voice sharply interjected into the conversation. The question momentarily knocked the air out of Kiyotaka's lungs.

"You... What do you _mean_ , 'what am I talking about'?! You slapped me across the face. You hit me first!"

"No, I didn't. Why would I hit you? You're a grown man." Takaaki denied the obvious truth in a flat and casual voice, not so much as bothering to look up from his food. Kiyotaka had to squint at him before he could be certain that his father was being serious.

Neither Satsuki nor Takaaki said anything else. Neither one would look him in the eye. Kiyotaka opened and closed his mouth several times, unable to find the words to express the gravity of his offense. His blood boiled in his veins. He wanted to scream and throw his dishes and overturn the table.

He wasn't crazy. He _knew_ that Takaaki had hit him first. Everyone at the bar saw it, right? Why would he try and lie so blatantly? Was he simply trying to make Kiyotaka look like the aggressor? And if Takaaki wouldn't even admit to the act, there was no way in hell that Kiyotaka would get an apology any time soon.

He had to focus. There was a name for this little tactic. He'd seen it when he'd researched things online. Which meant that it was no accident— Takaaki's frequent revisions of history were calculated and cruel. They were meant to hurt and manipulate Kiyotaka. And until now, it had worked. Kiyotaka had never even realized it.

"...Perhaps I've remembered something incorrectly," Kiyotaka said a bit too loudly, narrowing his eyes. It was a test of the waters. Takaaki nodded.

"Apparently so."

"You ought to apologize for making such an accusation against your father," Satsuki added. To Kiyotaka's surprise, Takaaki shook his head.

"No, no... The boy is clearly upset about something. He must be feeling guilty for all the trouble he's caused. But you do intend to make it up to us, don't you?"

Takaaki looked at his son, leaving him an opening to answer. Kiyotaka waited a long second before giving a hum of confirmation. He didn't actually have any intention of "repaying" Takaaki, but he was curious.

"Good," Takaaki continued. "Because, despite your reckless actions, I have managed to get in touch with the Ludenberg family. They, too, have a single daughter—"

"What are you saying?!"

Takaaki rolled his eyes.

"Well, _clearly_ your marriage to Sonia Nevermind is not going to happen. You'll have to find someone else. The Ludenbergs are a bit on the shady side, and information about them is hard to come by, but there's money there. The girl has a good pedigree."

Kiyotaka stared at his father for a full ten seconds of utter silence.

"...Did you... completely forget about the conversation we had in the bar? I reminded you, for probably the fifth time, that I'm gay. I don't want to marry a woman. That's how this whole thing got started. Remember?!"

"I know that that's what you keep saying," Takaaki grumbled, "but it isn't an option. You'll get over it."

Kiyotaka had thought, when he entered the house, that he fully understood and had accepted how his parents really felt about him. He'd been wrong. This moment— the fact that his father would have the audacity to suggest such a thing, and right after denying what he knew to be a fact— solidified everything.

His parents had invited him over to make him apologize for the lie that he and Sonia had constructed. They had expressed anger and disgust at the fact that he took things so far. They had seen their son hit his breaking point and snap because of their pressure on him to get married. And yet, even so, they had every intention of throwing him right back into the same situation.

"...This is... This is just unbelievable, dad. This whole thing happened because I have no desire to get married to any of the women that you set me up with. And yet you still expect me to do so?!"

Satsuki rolled her eyes. Takaaki calmly finished his steak and moved on to his vegetables.

"Kiyotaka, that's enough. I don't want to hear it. I mean, really... You would so casually throw aside your social and moral responsibilities of getting married and having a family, and for what?" Takaaki's lip curled up smugly at one corner, though his eyes remained disinterested. "For that thug you left the bar with on the back of some—"

" _You DO NOT talk about him like that_."

The venomous response shot out of Kiyotaka's mouth before he had the chance to identify his own voice, and it sounded different by the time it hit his ears. He winced involuntarily. Takaaki's gaze hardened. Even so, Kiyotaka couldn't bring himself to regret saying it the way that he had. Mondo Oowada was completely and totally _off limits_. His parents would never be allowed to say anything bad about him. Ever.

"He's... a very nice man," Kiyotaka added. "He's not a thug."

"He looks like one."

"Appearances can be deceiving! A-And besides that, he's been very supportive for the last few—"

"I don't care. You won't be seeing him anymore," Takaaki interrupted. "The Ludenbergs have an opening for us next Tuesday evening. That will be your focus from now on."

" _I'm gay_."

"I heard you the first time, and you may say that as many times as you want, but it won't change your responsibilities." Takaaki sighed in exasperation. "...Tell me, son. When do you plan to stop wasting your time?"

That last phrase, somehow, hit Kiyotaka right in the heart. Wasting his time. Wasting his time? Was he wasting their time, too? Is that really how they felt? He gulped, feeling the blood drain from his face, feeling the energy drain from his body. And for a moment, he wished that Mondo was with him, because he really could have used a hug.

He couldn't take this anymore, and his father had made one thing very clear. Kiyotaka let out one quick, bitter chuckle.

"...You... You really don't give a damn about me, do you...? ...You probably never really have."

Kiyotaka said it so quietly that it seemed his parents barely heard him. Takaaki stared at him for a moment, and then he laughed dryly and shook his head. Satsuki glared disapprovingly at his language.

"What are you on about now? Everything that we do is for your sake—"

"Then why did you tell me the way that you did?"

"...Excuse me?"

Kiyotaka's hand trembled. He set down his fork and knife and gripped his own knees so tight that his nails dug into his own skin through the fabric of his trousers, and he studied them as he spoke.

" _Sonia_. ...Dad, you chose to come to an event that was supposed to be a celebration for me— _uninvited_ , I might add—"

Takaaki slammed his own utensils down and pounded a fist on the table. The dishes clattered in protest.

"Now, you listen here—"

"—And instead of pulling me aside or calling me or texting me, you chose to announce it in front of everyone. My boss, the staff, the other customers, and all of my coworkers. Are you going to argue that that was for my benefit somehow?! Why would you do such a thing if you gave a damn about how I feel?!"

Takaaki didn't answer. Kiyotaka didn't know if he was relieved that he didn't have to further argue his point or angry that his father couldn't even put in the effort of making up an excuse. He took the stunned silence as permission to continue.

"You _embarrassed me_. Because of what you did, everyone at work is constantly bothering me and making fun of me, or they're asking me if I'm okay, or if I maybe want to try talking to their therapist! They can't even _begin to understand_ why any adult man would go to the great lengths of fabricating an entire engagement just to appease his parents. And of course they can't! Because they didn't grow up with _you!_ "

"The way that your coworkers react to your behavior is no fault of mine," Takaaki finally said. "Did it not occur to you that perhaps I wanted to tell you in person, and as soon as I had heard?"

Kiyotaka laughed, sounding high-pitched and unlike himself.

"That's bullshit."

Satsuki gasped.

"Kiyotaka! Watch your, language or—"

"That is _Bull. Shit!_ " He pounded the table with each syllable as he repeated and dragged out the word. Takaaki glowered at him. It really wasn't like Kiyotaka to swear aloud, especially in front of his parents, but it seemed that he'd been picking up bad habits from certain truckers. And he didn't care anymore.

"What is it? What is your problem _now_ , son?" Takaaki said it like he was scolding a toddler that insisted on throwing tantrums over every little thing. And that, most definitely, made Kiyotaka mad. "It's like nothing is ever enough for you!"

"Nothing is ever enough for me? ...For _me?!_ You're one to talk!" Kiyotaka stood, his chair screeching angrily against the hardwood. "Everything in my life has to be about you, and _that's_ why you did what you did! I made excuses for you, like I always do, but it's staring me right in the face and I cannot ignore it any longer. The _second_ the Neverminds contacted you about Sonia, you drove all the way to that bar and made a scene out of my failure and even struck me. You didn't do that because you love me; you did it because you wanted the attention!"

" _Kiyotaka Ishimaru—_ "

"And then you deny ever having hit me in the first place?! You two are just...! You thrive on drama! You need an excuse to pity yourselves and act like everything is some kind of soap opera, so you both feed on making my life miserable! The two of you spent that whole night calling people, didn't you?! I know for a fact that you did! You played the role of the concerned parent, so very sad for what had happened to me that you needed consolation from your friends... You probably sighed and told them you didn't understand why I would do something so silly, or lamented the fact that you don't understand me at all and I just won't tell you how I'm feeling, and yet you conveniently left out the parts where you forced me into becoming this person in the first place!"

" _Son—_ "

Kiyotaka was _screaming_ now, and pointing directly at his father's face. He couldn't stop this now even if he wanted to, and _damn_ , did it feel good to finally let go.

"If you actually gave a single fuck about me, you would have told me in confidence. Taking me aside would have taken you only a second. But you didn't do that, because it's about _you!_ If you cared about me, you wouldn't have told all of your friends because you know for a fact that I'm embarrassed!"

"I have never forced you to do anything," Takaaki said sternly, his voice low and threatening. "You can blame your mother and I for your problems all you want, but it won't change anything."

" _Shut the fuck up_. For once, will you?! Just this once?!"

Takaaki was shocked into silence again. Satsuki's expression seemed more appropriate for someone who had just witnessed a triple homicide. Kiyotaka bit back tears and inhaled a long, trembling breath.

"Y-Your actions... could have cost me my life. You remember that, don't you? The fact that I could have died? The two of you couldn't show me even a second of kindness or pity even when the standards that you held me to landed me in a hospital bed. What kind of a parent does that?!" Kiyotaka shook his head. "Certainly not any parents that actually love their children. I'm sure of that much. A-At this rate, I'll die of a heart attack before I turn thirty. And that's not what I want for myself anymore, so..."

The next declaration would be the most important. The words clung to his chest. For just a moment, he recalled their smiling faces, the ones that he had not seen in so long. He remembered the nights his mother had spent crying, the nights his father had spent rifling through bills and tearing out strands of his own hair. For that single moment, the pity buried in his heart that had kept him here all this time threatened to call him back from the precipice of this decision.

But... No. He'd been staying in the same place out of compassion for them for far too long. It was time that he spared some of that same empathy for himself.

"You asked me, earlier, when I planned to stop wasting my time," Kiyotaka said in a clear and firm voice. His mind was made up, and not a moment too soon. "And I have an answer for you. ...Now. _Now_ is when I stop wasting my time. This— whatever it is— it's over. I'm finished."

He calmly stepped back from the table and pushed his chair back in out of habit. He took his jacket and made his way for the front door. His father's chair let out a loud sound of protest behind him.

" _If you dare walk out that door—_ "

The fury in Takaaki's voice stopped Kiyotaka in his tracks. He spared the man a glance over his shoulder. Takaaki's face looked more frightened than angry, though his hands gripped the table so hard that they turned white.

"...Yes?" Kiyotaka glanced at his mother, briefly, as he waited for Takaaki to continue. She was expressionless and silent. A mere shadow of the proud and intelligent woman she had once been.

"If you dare walk out that door, you are _never_ coming back. You will never be allowed into our home or our lives again. We won't so much as answer any of your phone calls. Come back here and apologize, or we'll disown you. We'll write you out of our will. You won't see a penny of it. ...Do you hear me?!"

Six months ago, Kiyotaka would have been so terrified of that threat that he would have retracted everything and begged for his father's forgiveness. Now, all that he could feel for the man was shame and embarrassment. He almost felt sorry for him. What kind of a man had to try and blackmail his own son?

Without another word, Kiyotaka turned back around and left his family home. Neither of his parents shouted after him or made any effort to pursue him.

The reality of it didn't dawn on him until after he'd made it back into his car and pulled out of the driveway. Before he had even realized it was coming from him, Kiyotaka heard laughter. There was laughter, loud and bright and unapologetic, spilling from his mouth, from deep within his belly. He couldn't stop smiling. He pressed down further on the gas pedal. The night sky sped past him, the road a blur of colors.

This was it. This was what freedom felt like. Never again would he have to report the day's activities to his unappreciative mother. Never again would he have to listen to his father's passive-aggressive comments. He would no longer have to give up any of his income for the sake of investment capital.

He could do whatever he wanted to do with his own life now, and it didn't hurt like he had thought it would. There was only relief, only euphoria. He was proud of himself. He started to think about the future. For the first time, it was a promising thing and not terrifying and bleak.

Kiyotaka was so caught up in his emotional high, so focused on his victory, that he didn't notice the cluster of broken streetlights up ahead. And this late at night, there was no way that he could have seen the ditch that their shroud of darkness had concealed. So he couldn't help but shriek when his car lurched forward and then came to a sudden stop.

He waited for his heartbeat to settle down, and then he got out of the car and moved to inspect the damage, using his cell phone as a flashlight. One of his front tires was wedged firmly into some kind of hole in the pavement. At any other time, he probably would have been furious, but now, all he could do was laugh as he pulled up a familiar phone number in his contacts.

The phone rang only once before he got an answer.

"Hey, Mondo. It's Taka. I need a ride. ...Yes, _again_."


	26. Late-Night Rendezvous

Kiyotaka waited for about thirty minutes. They were minutes that flew by, as he spent the whole time daydreaming about the future. It had not occurred to him that the tow truck that arrived for him wouldn't actually have Mondo in it.

"No worries, little Taka! I've got ya!"

It was Akane Owari that pulled up beside him, honking her horn to get his attention. She grinned, and he raised an eyebrow.

"...I thought I called Mondo."

"Ya did," she confirmed, "but he was actually at home. He called me. He's on his way in his own car ta take ya outta here."

 _Ah. That figures_ , he thought. He had only assumed that Mondo was at work, and he had called his personal cell phone number, not the trucking company. He nodded.

"I see. Thanks, Owari-chan."

"Hey." Akane stared him down as she left the truck and shut the door behind her to assess the damage. Her grin widened. "I'm proud of ya. C'mere."

Akane pulled Kiyotaka into a tight hug before he could protest. He thought, for a moment, that her breasts would suffocate him. She patted his back so hard that it hurt— was she not aware of her own strength?

Mondo, apparently, had been keeping her somewhat up-to-date on things. Which made sense. The two of them were good friends. Akane got to work as soon as she released Kiyotaka, and she had his car loaded up onto her truck in no time.

"Thanks again!" He called after the truck as it prepared to withdraw into the night. "I'll try to swing by to pick it up in the morning!"

Akane flashed a thumbs-up out of her window, and then she was gone. Kiyotaka watched the big green vehicle grow smaller and smaller on the horizon until he was alone once more.

Mondo arrived (in his car, as Akane had said he would be) ten minutes after that. He pulled over into the grass as soon as he spotted Kiyotaka standing along the side of the road. Kiyotaka crossed the distance in a sprint and ran to the driver's side door. He practically pulled Mondo out and then wrapped him in an embrace.

"Mondo," he happily sighed into the other man's chest. "I missed you. Thank you."

"Don't sweat it," Mondo replied. His tone was casual, or tried to be, but one look at his face said otherwise. He was blushing. He must not have expected the open affection. "I said I'd come for ya whenever ya needed me, so. Here we are."

Kiyotaka stood still, listening to the taller man's steady heartbeat, for a moment. It settled his nerves. He'd gotten a bit nervous, at the last possible second, about seeing Mondo again, and now he was certain that he'd had no reason to feel that way. He stood on his toes and kissed the side of his face. Mondo turned red, coughed, and then invented some excuse to get back in the car. Kiyotaka laughed as he climbed into the passenger's seat.

Mondo was kind of a funny guy, Kiyotaka decided. He'd always been so openly flirtatious, and he'd initiated some small affections before. But the second those affections were returned, he got flustered. It was kind of endearing. He smiled to himself as Mondo started up the engine and pulled back onto the road.

Kiyotaka didn't bother to ask where they were headed before he started rattling off a play-by-play description of the night's events. Mondo listened intently, nodding along and adding in his own commentary, even as his primary focus remained on the road. Every once in a while, though, he would raise an eyebrow and make a face that seemed slightly concerned. Usually when Kiyotaka laughed. Kiyotaka knew that he did, admittedly, sound kind of delirious.

"Can you believe it?!" Kiyotaka boasted. "I did it! I finally did it! I wanted to get out of there so bad that I guess I must have missed the pothole—"

"Shouldn't ya be wearin' your glasses?"

"...Eh?"

Kiyotaka's racing thoughts came to sudden halt at the interruption. Mondo frowned at him.

" _Your glasses_. You said that you're supposeta wear 'em when ya read and when ya drive. So where are they?"

"O-Oh." Kiyotaka blushed and scratched his cheek. "I forgot them in my desk at the office. I guess I was so focused on what I intended to say that it totally slipped my mind."

"Then it's no wonder ya missed that fuckin' pothole. The light may have been out, but it was still pretty obvious. I dunno that your insurance'll cover this one."

"Well, I'm sorry, _mom_."

Mondo's reply seemed to catch in his throat, and he turned to give Kiyotaka a disapproving stare. Kiyotaka could only hold the gaze for a moment before he laughed awkwardly.

"...I know that I said ya needed to relax n’ let go of the rules, but don't go fuckin' crazy. How many goddamn times have you crashed your car this year?"

"That second one was because of the defective steering!"

"And this one?!"

Kiyotaka sighed and flattened in his seat. Mondo chuckled under his breath.

"...Okay, you're right. You're right, _as usual_ ," Kiyotaka grumbled.

"I am. Settle down. Y'don't have to lose it, just... let it sink in for a little while. Y'should take it easy for a coupla days."

"I probably should."

Kiyotaka glared out the windshield and folded his arms over his chest. He'd been imagining high-speed motorcycle rides and roller coasters, but Mondo seemed convinced that he should be taking a nap or a long bath instead. ...Which, admittedly, didn't sound too bad. It had been a long time since he'd been able to relax—

" _Dammit!_ I forgot!" Kiyotaka shrieked as he suddenly remembered something. Mondo flinched violently.

" _Fucking—_ what is it?! Don't scare me like that! I'm tryna drive."

"I still have a job. I'm supposed to be in the office early tomorrow morning to start working on a really complicated project."

Mondo's eyebrows raised, and he pursed his lips.

"...That's true. And ya still hate that job, right?"

"I do. It's gotten even worse since the promotion."

"You could always... Y'know. Quit. ...Like, now."

"What?!" Kiyotaka scoffed. "I-I— quitting one's job is a big decision to make. It's not something to be done in the heat of the moment!"

"Normally, no," Mondo agreed. "But it really ain't all that sudden. It's been a long time comin', hasn't it? 'Sides, you're smart. I'm sure ya have plenty saved up. I'll bet ya can afford to go job-huntin' for a while. I'd help. Daiya, too. ...Whatever ya need."

Kiyotaka hissed through his teeth. Mondo was far too good at rationalizing these things (and, apparently, very determined to take care of him). It did sound tempting... the idea that he could just be done with it.

"...I do have about six months' salary set aside—"

" _Six months?!_ " Mondo squinted at him, and when he determined that Kiyotaka was being serious, he barked out a laugh. "You'll be fine! Christ. ...Can ya do that? Just quit?"

"Hmm..." Kiyotaka stroked his chin. "I'm _supposed_ to turn in a two week's notice, but... I mean, what would they do if I refused? Fire me?"

"Fair enough," Mondo chuckled. "...Two weeks is too long. If ya go back there and wait two more weeks you'll convince yourself not t'make the jump, won't ya? 'Specially if you're just startin' up some project. You'll get pulled back in."

Once more, Mondo was right. Kiyotaka would get guilted into staying if he went back to that office. Likely because of Chihiro, who he'd grown very fond of. He didn't like the idea of leaving her behind with so little warning.

It was a good thing that his parents had threatened to disown him and never speak to him again. He hoped they would follow through on that threat. Because if they were to call him and beg forgiveness, he knew that he might cave. Old habits died hard. Maybe he had to treat his job the same way.

"...That's true," Kiyotaka confessed. "I can't go back there. Maybe..."

"Yeah?"

"Maybe I _should_ just quit. The office is closed by now, but my boss should still be there finishing up the preparations for tomorrow's meeting, so... I could call him."

Once he'd said it, his body started buzzing. He was already on his way to getting riled up and carried away again. He looked to Mondo, a part of him hoping that the other man would talk him out of it.

"...Hang on," Mondo offered after a moment. "I know somewhere quiet that we can go."

Mondo took a turn down a dark side road, following the winding path until he arrived at a kind of clearing in the woods. It was some sort of tiny and abandoned parking lot or rest stop overlooking a little plateau and hidden by a cover of trees. Kiyotaka could see city lights in the distance, and the hum of passing cars was now far away. He raised an eyebrow.

"What's this?"

Mondo shrugged.

"I dunno. All of the cool teenagers used to come here t'smoke and drink n' shit, though. It's private."

Kiyotaka looked at his phone, registering how late it was getting and how long they'd actually been driving around. He laughed.

"Where were you even going? Where did you intend to take me?"

"...Nowhere," Mondo admitted, sounding slightly embarrassed. "I was just drivin' around. Figured I'd let ya talk and just take us for a cruise. I didn't wanna get us lost, though, so I've been stickin' to the roads I know. This is near my old hometown."

Kiyotaka wasn't sure what he found so funny about it. He'd been so invested in telling the story of his victory over his parents that he hadn't paid any attention to the road. Mondo, meanwhile, had been searching for familiar signs and driving around in circles. He supposed it was nice of Mondo— that he'd let him rant to his heart's content without cutting him short by getting to any specific place.

"Are we far from town?" Kiyotaka asked.

"We're, like, twenty minutes out. Nothin' too bad."

"Would you have kept driving until I was finished?"

"Yeah."

"You're sweet."

"Yeah."

Kiyotaka giggled, and then he returned his attention to his phone. His boss's contact number was right there. All that he had to do was call, say that he was finished, and then he'd never have to work in that horrible office again. The reality of it was hard to fathom, but he had to take advantage of the momentum he'd gained while he still had it.

"...Okay. Okay," Kiyotaka huffed, opening the car door. "I'm going to try calling my boss. Wish me luck."

He clambered out of his seat and stood in the pavement near the car. He heard Mondo follow after him and felt two big, reassuring hands on his shoulders. Kiyotaka smiled softly as the phone rang. He gulped when he heard the click of an answer.

_"Ishimaru. It's late. What is it? I was just getting ready to head out."_

"Y-Yes, um. I should have called earlier, and I realize that. I just wanted to let you know in advance that I'll be coming by to collect my things sometime tomorrow, and that once I've done that, I won't be coming back."

_"...Excuse me?"_

Kiyotaka huffed in a breath, feeling more confident when his lungs were full of air. Mondo's thumbs rubbed firm circles into his shoulders and his upper back.

"I'm— I'm saying that I quit, sir. I don't want to work for you anymore."

_"What's the meaning of this?! This is how you repay us after getting so generously promoted?!"_

"It _was_ a generous promotion. So it should go to somebody who actually wants to work there. I've been very unhappy with my career for a long time."

_"But what about the project?! You're supposed to be in the meeting first thing tomorrow morning! Such a last-minute decision—"_

"There's nothing else I can say," Kiyotaka sighed. "I didn't want to inconvenience anyone, but I don't feel that I have any other choice, and frankly, it's not my problem anymore. You'll have to find someone else. Thank you for the opportunities. ...Goodbye."

Kiyotaka hung up on his boss, ignoring the man's loud protests. He'd probably get an earful when he dropped by to get his things. Hopefully he'd be able to find Chihiro and explain his side of things to her before word spread around the office of how ungrateful he was.   
  
He looked over his shoulder at Mondo and smiled sheepishly, hoping for approval.

"That was good," Mondo encouraged. "Firm, but not rude. I was kinda worried you'd go ham on him and tell him to go fuck himself or somethin'."

Kiyotaka laughed.

"It _did_ cross my mind, as he's honestly one of the most pretentious and inconsiderate human beings I've ever had the misfortune of meeting, but... that would have been childish of me. And it wouldn't do me any good." He slid his phone into his pocket and pulled Mondo into a hug. "Thanks. Again."

Mondo gave him a gentle pat on the back.

"No problem. M' here for ya."

Kiyotaka lingered there, in Mondo's arms, for far longer than he could casually dismiss. It had occurred to him, just then, that he and Mondo had both made a particular confession the last time they'd spoken at length. It was easier for Kiyotaka to pretend that he hadn't admitted to loving Mondo when he hadn't had to say it to his face. But being here, surrounded by his scent and his body heat, it was impossible to ignore.

Kiyotaka gulped and nuzzled his head further into the other man's chest. Mondo's arms tightened around him. He smelled like leather and pine trees with the faintest hint of metal.

"Mondo?"

"Mm?"

Mondo pulled his head back just enough. Kiyotaka looked into his eyes. The pale moonlight above them bounced off of his long eyelashes and his cascading hair and his sculpted features, and he looked both magnificent and gentle in equal measure. He'd never been more handsome.

"I love you."

Kiyotaka was able to declare it with confidence this time. It was no longer a suspicion. Mondo's eyes widened slightly. Had he really not expected to hear it? Perhaps he hadn't expected it so soon. Whatever it was, Kiyotaka didn't intend to leave him with any doubts.

He allowed one second to pass, and then he tangled his fingers in Mondo's hair and pulled him down until their lips met.

Mondo didn't react right away. When he did, he was careful, his lips slow and his hands moving with slight hesitation even as they wrapped around Kiyotaka and pulled him closer. Kiyotaka chuckled as he pulled away for a moment.

"It's okay," he laughed. "Kiss me. Touch me. I want you to."

"...A-Alright."

Getting the verbal confirmation that he had permission seemed to do the trick for Mondo. He tilted his head, and Kiyotaka allowed his tongue entrance and met it with his own, whimpering into the other man's now-open mouth. He tugged at and combed through his surprisingly well-kept hair with his fingers as one of Mondo's arms tightened around his waist. He was mostly clean-shaven, but the little bit of stubble that remained was scratchy. It wasn't unpleasant.

"I thought you'd taste like cigarettes," Kiyotaka huffed upon withdrawing to catch his breath. Mondo's lip turned up at one corner.

"I'd hope not," he murmured against Kiyotaka's neck before giving it a quick kiss. "I quit."

"You— You did? When?!"

"The one I put out the last time we talked face-to-face was my last one. Thought it seemed like a good time. ...I mean, I was sittin' there tellin' ya that ya had to give up all the self-destructive shit while smokin' a cancer stick. Seemed kinda hypocritical."

Mondo chuckled. Kiyotaka grinned and gave him another hug before he resumed kissing him. His heart swelled with pride. That conversation had been a big turning point for both of them, it seemed.

It was Mondo who broke the kiss the second time. Something in his eyes was both incredulous and fascinated. He studied Kiyotaka's face without saying anything for a couple of seconds.

"You have _ridiculously_ soft lips."

Kiyotaka snort-laughed and covered his mouth of of embarrassment.

"It's a special balm," he admitted, smiling fondly and making a mental note to thank Sonia later. "A friend of mine makes it herself."

"Well, shit. Tell her I owe her one."

"Sure."

Kiyotaka, impatient, crushed their mouths together again. Mondo laughed against his lips and pushed forward, pinning his back to the car. Kiyotaka hummed happily. He found himself drawn to the other man's mouth like it was a magnet, and only the frustrating need for oxygen was enough to pull him away.

Takaaki had been right about one thing— Kiyotaka really did feel, now, that he had been wasting his time. He'd been pushing Mondo away and ignoring him and running from his own feelings for the man when he could have been kissing him instead. There now seemed to be no rational excuse for doing anything else. Ever. Mondo nibbled at his lower lip, and all thoughts of anything outside of their little bubble fled his mind.

Mondo groaned, and the sound shot straight to Kiyotaka's groin. He whined and pushed the other man back.

"Mondo—" His voice caught in his throat. A small part of him, the prudish disciplinarian he'd once been, couldn't believe that he was actually about to say what he planned to say. The rest of him was ready to beg, and on his hands and knees if it came to that.

"Yeah?" When Kiyotaka didn't answer right away, Mondo's hand tenderly cupped the side of his face. "What is it?"

"I want you. ...Now."

Mondo's eyes were blown wide. He looked around, only confirming to himself that there was no one to see. They wouldn't have to worry about being interrupted or spotted up here.

"...I'm sorry, _what_ did you say?" He choked after a moment. Kiyotaka whined again, gently slapping at his chest.

"You heard me!" He didn't want to repeat himself. It had been embarrassing enough the first time.

"I-I mean, yeah, I _heard_ ya, but... I just wanna be sure. I-I wouldn't have thought... Y'know. You're usually kinda strict! S-So..."

Kiyotaka pouted. Maybe he shouldn't have asked. He'd thought that Mondo would have gone for it right away.

"Is that a _no?"_

Mondo flinched, sputtering and tripping over his words as he shook his head.

"Of course not! I mean, I..." Mondo paused to take a deep breath and clear his thoughts, and he pressed his forehead against Kiyotaka's. Kiyotaka could feel that Mondo's heart was thumping rapidly in his chest. Mondo smiled. "...How could I refuse you? If you really wanna, I'm not complainin'."

"Good." Kiyotaka punctuated his acceptance with a quick kiss. "Take me," he commanded.

"Alright, alright. Jus'... gimme a second."

Mondo left Kiyotaka's side and walked around to the driver's seat. He flicked the lights on inside of the vehicle and turned on the battery, making sure that the gear was in park, and flipped through radio stations until he found something mildly appropriate for the mood, leaving it on a low volume. The car suddenly seemed like an enticing romantic getaway for two. He returned sporting a cheeky grin and gestured at the door that Kiyotaka's back had been pressed against.

"Get in."

Kiyotaka's spine tingled at the assertive command, and he tried to look cool and collected as he obeyed, even as he could barely contain his excitement.


	27. It's About Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO EVERYONE, HERE IS THE PROMISED SMUT CHAPTER so warnings, of course, for very explicit sexual content. Sorry for the wait. I'm not used to writing smut (this is my first published and proper one, actually!) and I was emotionally destroyed by season six of Voltron :'D

Kiyotaka had never done anything so impulsive, and a part of him wondered what the hell had come over him, but that didn't deter him from removing his jacket and tie. He had them off and tossed into the front seat by the time Mondo made it into the vehicle and closed the door. He also took the liberty of removing one of his own shoes, and had the other halfway off, when Mondo attacked.

The trucker's first few kisses were slow and lazy and deliberate. Kiyotaka clawed impatiently at his hair and his clothes, and he grew more confident. He pulled Kiyotaka into his lap, and then they melted into one another.

It was amazing, really, how natural it felt. Kiyotaka had been nervous just a moment earlier. There was still a fluttering in his gut and his heart raced, but it was nothing but excitement now. Mondo was warm and familiar. His body was firm and welcoming, his touch inviting. Kiyotaka felt _safe_ , even in the back of some car in the middle of the woods.

His hands tore Mondo's usual leather jacket from his shoulders and tossed it aside. The shirt he found beneath was thin and made of a cheap, stark-white fabric. It was the sort of tee that one purchased in a pack, usually for sleeping in. He raised an eyebrow.

"Shouldn't you be wearing something warmer?"

"I was takin' the night off," Mondo insisted, smirking. "Wasn't expecting ya t'call me up outta nowhere."

"Oh? But you took the time to get your leather jacket and to put your hair up?"

Mondo's smirk widened into a teasing grin as he felt at his own hair. It was pulled halfway up into a messy little bun, the way that he'd been wearing it the night they'd reunited in the noodle restaurant.

"Yeah. Because you like botha those things. Unlike _you_ , I'm not fuckin' blind to when people are checkin' me out."

Kiyotaka blushed. He wasn't wrong about that. He removed the band from Mondo's hair anyway, as he wanted to run his hands through all of it. He carelessly slipped the band around his wrist just so that he wouldn't lose it someplace. He tangled his fingers into the rusty curls, watching them fan out over the other man's neck, just barely touching his shoulders, the tighter ringlets of the layers underneath twirling around his exploratory digits. He pulled, slightly, and gently massaged his scalp with his nails. There was a deep rumble of a sound, one that came from the back of Mondo's throat, and his lips pulled away from Kiyotaka's to attack his neck. As he had suspected, Mondo very much liked having his hair played with and pulled. There was almost no point in his having that much hair otherwise, right?

Mondo's mouth, hot and hungry, returned to his. Kiyotaka mapped out every inch of it with his tongue as the pads of his fingers finally found skin, heated and in need of touch, beneath the t-shirt. He rolled it up and over Mondo's abdomen before Mondo took the hint and removed it himself.

Mondo smiled. He knew damn well that Kiyotaka liked what he saw there. He worked hard at maintaining that kind of a figure, and it showed. Kiyotaka had hardly been able to stand it before, when he'd only been allowed to look and not to touch. It was different now. His hands explored the expanse of muscle there, writing the details of every dip and crease into his memory. Mondo patiently moved to undo Kiyotaka's buttons, allowing the other man to soak it all in. He was still absorbed in touching Mondo's chest (the nipple rings, in particular, were fascinating) when he shrugged the dress shirt off. Mondo's muffled chuckling distracted him.

"What's so funny?"

"Y'folded it."

"...Oh."

Kiyotaka looked down to find that he did, in fact, have a perfectly folded shirt in his hands. He tossed it, embarrassed, over the back of the seat behind him to join his jacket and tie and single shoe. He recaptured Mondo's mouth with his, partially in an attempt to stop him from laughing. Mondo pulled him closer, finally allowing him to feel bare skin against skin, and that was more than enough apology. His heart was thumping so hard against his ribcage that he was certain Mondo could feel it. Mondo's skin was hot with the exception of those two bits of cold metal. Kiyotaka gasped at the strange sensation.

One of Mondo's hands slid lower, daring to just barely tease the waistband of his trousers. Kiyotaka was in a position that allowed him more movement of his lower body, so he dared to give one teasing thrust, grinding their hips together. Mondo grunted and swore through his teeth before taking the hint and fumbling for his buttons. Kiyotaka had less trouble finding the zipper of Mondo's jeans. There was a brief struggle, one of bunched fabric and tangled legs and limited space, and then both men were exposed, neither bothering to remove their pants entirely.

Kiyotaka gulped as his gaze fell down. Mondo— his member, that is— was bigger than his, and he'd expected that. He was considerably taller and broader. But Mondo was _big_. It was hard to comprehend the whole of him fitting inside. For a moment, the thought scared him, and then it excited him and lit his nerves on fire. Mondo had awakened some kind of a greedy masochist in him.

He hissed at the feeling of Mondo's hand around him. His hands were large and his fingertips were rough, for one thing, but it had been so long since anyone had touched him like this that it was like re-learning the sensation. He barely had the time to touch himself these days, either. This would probably be over in an embarrassingly short amount of time.

Kiyotaka did his best to return the favor, assuming that this was foreplay and that he was only getting the other man warmed up. But Mondo's strokes, skillful and calculated, increased in speed, forcing Kiyotaka to stop him with a timid hand on his wrist and pull away from his lips. His jaw was beginning to feel sore, he dully noticed, but he shoved that thought back.

"Wh-What— what are you doing?"

Mondo's brow furrowed.

"Hell d'ya mean? I'm jerkin' ya off—"

"That's not what I meant!" Kiyotaka couldn't help but laugh for a second. "I-I mean... if you keep that up, I won't last long enough. It's been a while."

It took Mondo a few long moments to process his words, and then one of his eyebrows lifted despite him, unfurling the crease that had formed there.

"Yeah? What exactly didja have planned? I kinda thought... Since this wasn't exactly _planned_ , we'd just... Y'know."

"Right. Maybe I should have been more clear," Kiyotaka mumbled. His intense ruby eyes were suddenly glued to Mondo's cock, where his hand still moved, slowly, just enough to be tantalizing. Mondo looked down at himself and frowned. He seemed uncertain. "I want _all of you_."

"...You—"

Kiyotaka gave him a hard tug, and Mondo's voice caught in his throat.

"Inside of me," he clarified.

" _Fuckin' hell._ " Mondo flinched under another of Kiyotaka's firm strokes. "What's gotten inta you all of a sudden?" He sounded more amused than shocked, which Kiyotaka took to be a good thing. He wasn't actually sure what had gotten into him, but he wasn't fighting it. Maybe he'd just run out of patience. "...I don't wanna let ya down, and _trust me_ , I don't have a problem with it if that's really what ya want. But I don't— I know how I look, but I don't normally do this kinda thing in my car. I dunno if I have... stuff."

"...Ah." Kiyotaka's face fell. He'd forgotten, in his lust, that there were certain things they'd need to go any further. "Are you sure?"

"I can check, I guess. Just in case."

Mondo allowed Kiyotaka to climb off of him and sit down, where he finished removing his shoes and his socks. Mondo leaned forward to fish through the glove compartment between the seats. He had some trouble seeing the contents from where he was without hitting his head (not to mention moving around with the hard-on he was sporting). His eyebrows shot up.

"...I didn't put this here," Mondo mumbled. He picked up some kind of envelope that had been stuffed into the bottom of the compartment and sat down with it. He seemed to recognize the handwriting scrawled across the back. _For emergency use_ , it said. Kiyotaka squinted.

"What is it?"

"I dunno."

Mondo peeled it open. Some familiar objects fell out along with a little note on a torn sheet of looseleaf. Kiyotaka's face lit up. The envelope had contained a small collection of condoms and packets of lubricant. There were varieties of each, as if whoever had put them there hadn't known Mondo's exact preferences. Kiyotaka may not have had sex in a long time, but he _did_ know his own tastes.

As Kiyotaka pored over the options, Mondo made a strange noise. Some combination of a laugh and a groan. His head fell back to hit the seat. Kiyotaka gave him a curious look, and Mondo sighed, took a deep breath, and narrated the note in a voice slightly deeper than his own.

" _I know you'll probably get all naggy about it, or insist that ya wouldn't fuck a guy in your car, but your big bro has got ya covered just in case. Ya never know. I'm not sure what kinda shit you use and it's not any of my business, so I asked some gay guy at the shop n' included all the good portable shit. Some of it was weirdly expensive for a little packet, so you'd better be fuckin' grateful! Have fun._ " Mondo shook his head before returning to his regular voice. "...N' then he drew a fuckin' cock and balls, and a little... winky face... thing... Look at this shit."

Mondo thrust the note into Kiyotaka's hand. He immediately let out a snort of laughter and covered his reddening face with his hands. The doodles Mondo had mentioned were, in fact, there, in blue ballpoint pen. Daiya had never signed his name, but Mondo must have recognized his handwriting. It was distinctive, each letter drawn sharp and thin.

"Well, uh... I suppose you should thank Daiya the next time you see him."

"I sure as hell will," Mondo agreed, stuffing the note and the unnecessary packets back into the envelope and returning them to the compartment. He was left with two little foil packages. He gestured at Kiyotaka to lie down, which he did. Mondo was hovering over him within moments, planting kisses and love bites along his collarbone before moving slowly down. The stubble on his jaw scraped against his sensitive, touch-starved skin. Mondo's bronzed hands were a stark contrast to Kiyotaka's porcelain tone.

Kiyotaka was certain that he'd have marks in the morning. None that he couldn't cover up, of course, but marks nonetheless. Would it be strange of him to tell Mondo to leave more of them? It would be, right? He wondered, _again_ , what had gotten into him. He decided that it was a simple release of built-up frustration. There had been a lot of agonizing sexual tension in their relationship from day one. It was really no wonder that they'd ended up like this. If this went the way that it had in his early fantasies, he'd be a completely different man by the time they were through.

He gasped as Mondo's tongue flicked over one of his nipples and pulled it into his mouth. He teased the other with his hand. He moved between both of them, making sure each received the same treatment, before moving on. His tongue traced the edges of his abdominal muscles as his hands squeezed into the small of his back, his fingernails leaving little crescent-shaped marks. Kiyotaka's eyelashes fluttered, and his mouth parted. Mondo's hands were at his trousers, ready to pull them down the rest of the way, when Kiyotaka suddenly recalled something. He stopped Mondo, who pouted at him.

"L-Listen, while we're on the subject, there's... actually something else you ought to thank your brother for."

Mondo raised an eyebrow. Kiyotaka blushed furiously and pulled his pants down just a little further. He pulled them down just far enough to reveal the crest of a diamond, which had had plenty of time to heal, emblazoned on his hip.

Mondo stared at it for six full, silent seconds before reacting.

" _No. Fucking. WAY._ "

He seemed absolutely delighted, but also afraid to touch it. Kiyotaka smiled through his embarrassment, though it did color his cheeks a startling shade of red. Mondo reached a tentative hand out to carefully feel the marking, his eyes blown wide. He shook his head and grinned as his fingers traced along the ink.

"When in the hell—"

"I got it... a short while before the gym. When I told you that I couldn't see you anymore. I was upset when I got my promotion and wanted to do something rebellious at least once. A tattoo seemed... appropriate."

"Sure does. B-But why a diamond?!"

Mondo's laughter, in that moment, sounded unlike him. It was high-pitched, almost girlish. Kiyotaka was glad he was happy, at least. He groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Ask Daiya! I-I went to his shop on Fujisaki's recommendation—"

" _Oh, Chi_."

"—and I didn't know he worked there until it was too late, after I'd already told Ibuki that they could surprise me. Daiya figured out who I was before he did the tattoo, and he and Ibuki and Leon talked you up the _whole time_... I didn't see it until I got home. Honest."

Mondo was still laughing, and so hard that he looked like he could cry. It wasn't exactly sexy, but Kiyotaka thought he looked strangely handsome like that.

Finally, Mondo recovered, and he moved back to his prior position, looking fondly at the ink. Kiyotaka forced an awkward smile.

"Do you... like it?" he asked. Mondo chuckled.

"I _love it_."

As if to prove his point, Mondo kissed the diamond before moving to tease the skin around it with his tongue and his teeth. His hands pulled Kiyotaka's pants and his boxer-briefs down the rest of the way, struggling to pull them loose from around his ankles. He carelessly threw them to the floor. Kiyotaka would normally object to such a thing, but couldn't focus on something so petty with Mondo's tongue tracing the inside of his thigh.

Kiyotaka kept his eyes squeezed shut for the next minute, and he couldn't help the whines that escaped his throat. Mondo kissed and nibbled at the insides of his thighs and the lowest part of his belly, as if intentionally avoiding the place where Kiyotaka most needed to be touched, for a few agonizing moments before his tongue finally ran along the underside of his shaft. Kiyotaka made a choked sound, something like a sob, as Mondo's lips closed around him and he bobbed his head up and down, once, then twice. Kiyotaka tangled a hand in his hair and pulled him away before he could do it a third time.

"Y-You're a little too good at that," he laughed. "I won't—"

"Right. Gotcha."

Mondo flashed a cheeky grin before retrieving the first of the packets. He studied himself, very closely, as he rolled the condom on, like he hadn't done it in a while. Kiyotaka found that somewhat surprising. Looking at Mondo, he had a difficult time believing that the man had any trouble finding partners.

"Wh-When, um... if you don't mind my asking, when was the last time you did this?"

"Told ya already. I've never done this."

"No, I meant— I meant sex in general, not specifically in the back of a car."

"Oh." Mondo paused, as he'd finished what he was doing. Kiyotaka tried not to stare at it. Mondo looked thoughtfully up at the ceiling, tossing the lubricant packet back and forth between his hands. "It's, uh, been about a year."

" _Really?!_ "

Mondo coughed. It was the obviously fake kind of cough meant to distract from embarrassment. Kiyotaka could see his cheeks turn a bit pink.

"I'm... kind of a serial monogamist, I guess. If I'm feeling even a little bit of somethin' for anybody, I'm not lookin' to sleep around."

Kiyotaka blinked.

"Are you... saying that you haven't been dating because of me?"

"...Well, yeah."

Kiyotaka had been floored the first time that Mondo had admitted to crushing on him from a distance for far longer than he'd realized, and he was floored again. He would never have dreamed that Mondo's fixation had stopped his dating life entirely. The man was, honestly, a hopeless romantic wrapped in an oversized and muscular shell.

"That... doesn't matter," Kiyotaka said firmly, smiling. "Because you can do whatever you want now."

"Right." Mondo looked at him, and for a moment, his needy expression softened. "...You sure about this? Y'can back out anytime ya want."

"I'm sure." He wiggled impatiently. "Go ahead."

Mondo gave only a grunt as a confirmation before he attempted to straddle Kiyotaka. He settled, without seeming to realize it, in a position that was less than comfortable for the man pinned beneath him. Kiyotaka wiggled about once more, trying to relieve the weight of Mondo's heavy body. Mondo's knee pushed into his thigh hard enough to hurt, and his own neck was twisted at an uncomfortable angle against the car door.

"Could you move a little?" He squeaked. Mondo raised a confused eyebrow and adjusted an arm. He didn't seem to be aware of how heavy he was, and he was trying not to hit his head on the roof. "N-No, your _leg_ , move—" Kiyotaka's request broke off in a frustrated groan. He covered his face with his hands. "Th-This looks so much easier in movies!"

He'd been afraid, as soon as those words escaped his mouth, that Mondo would be irritated by his breaking of the mood. Instead, Mondo laughed, the loud and warm sort of laugh that spilled from his belly. He gave Kiyotaka's hair an affectionate yet teasing ruffle.

"It sure fuckin' does," he choked through his giggling. "I'm callin' bullshit on that scene in _Titanic_."

Mondo did as he was instructed. He tried to, anyway. There wasn't any comfortable way, it seemed, for them both to fit on the bench this way.

"Hold on," Kiyotaka instructed. He motioned at Mondo to back away from him, and he obeyed. Kiyotaka rolled himself over until he was on all fours. "Y-You can just, um. Kneel behind me."

He couldn't see Mondo anymore, but heard him let out a huff of breath. He didn't feel anything for a long moment. Just as he was about to urge the man to continue, he felt slightly trembling hands on his rear end. Mondo muttered something, some kind of a muffled swear. Kiyotaka laughed nervously. He'd always been self-conscious about his ass, having been told before that it was too round and too pronounced, but Mondo seemed to like it plenty.

Mondo had been thoroughly distracted. Rather than advancing any further, he kneaded the skin and the excess fat of Kiyotaka's ass with his hands. Kiyotaka could easily imagine the wolfish smile on his face. Mondo gave him a gentle slap, watching the way the skin rippled and bounced in response. Kiyotaka made a sound that he could only describe as a squeak. Mondo snickered.

"What, you like that?"

"...Maybe a little," Kiyotaka laughed, somewhat ashamed to admit it. "C-Could you do that again? A little harder?"

Mondo waited a second before complying with the request. Kiyotaka was able to confirm to himself that he did, in fact, like it.

"Wouldn't have pegged ya for a masochist," Mondo teased just after being told to give yet another slap. He reached his other hand around to Kiyotaka's front and gave his painfully hard cock a few tugs. The movement of his hands briefly paused. "...Actually, I shoulda figured. Seein' as you've been fuckin' yourself over for the last decade."

"I-I don't need you to— _ah_ — to lecture me about my life choices while my ass is sticking up in the air, _thank you very much!_ "

Mondo laughed, and then things resumed. Kiyotaka wanted to be handled somewhat roughly and found himself surprised. Mondo was doing what he'd asked, and obliging what he felt Kiyotaka wanted, but his touch was almost startlingly gentle most of the time. Like he was trying his best to be soothing. Even when he was biting the skin at the back of his thighs or slapping him on the rear hard enough to leave red marks upon his fair skin, his unoccupied hand moved in comforting circles. That juxtaposition was jarring, but at the same time, it did make Kiyotaka feel a little more confident. It reminded him that this wasn't just some hookup, and that Mondo had no intention of hurting him.

While he did enjoy the teasing, Kiyotaka feared that he'd enjoy it a bit too much, and so he gave Mondo permission to take things further. Mondo checked, once more, that he was okay with this and reminded him that he didn't have to be penetrated if he didn't want to be. Kiyotaka growled at him to get on with it, and Mondo laughed.

"Okay," Mondo sighed, making use of the contents of the remaining foil packet and thoroughly coating his fingers with the slick substance within. "I'm startin' with one. Just relax n' lemme know when you're ready for another."

Kiyotaka's first instinct was to brace himself, but he knew this was the worst possible thing he could do. He took a moment to clear his head and relax his muscles before giving a hum of approval.

It was a stranger feeling than he remembered it being. It wasn't painful, not yet, but it was uncomfortable and invasive. He nibbled on his lower lip before impatiently pushing Mondo to insert a second finger, and then a third, hardly giving himself any time to adjust and leaving Mondo little time to properly stretch him. Mondo seemed a bit reluctant to comply, likely out of concern that he would hurt Kiyotaka, but Kiyotaka himself didn't care much about that (hell, he was apparently learning to enjoy a bit of pain). When there were three fingers inside of him and stretching him open, he began to feel a burn. He inhaled through his teeth, once, sharply, and pushed it aside.

"H-Hurry," Kiyotaka pled. Mondo hummed somewhat disapprovingly.

"You're still pretty tight. I don't wanna—"

His protest was interrupted by Kiyotaka's voice crying out. His back arched, and he involuntarily pressed his face further into the fabric of the seat.

" _There_ ," he huffed. Mondo's fingers brushed that spot again, and Kiyotaka pushed himself back against them, desperate for more friction. "P-Please, Mondo, I want—"

"Alright, alright," Mondo hummed as he removed his fingers, his voice calming and low. It sounded much deeper all of a sudden. He used the last of the lubricant in the packet to slick his own length before using a paper towel to clean his hands and then tossing it and the empty packets somewhere that Kiyotaka couldn't see. "You're ready?"

"I am," Kiyotaka insisted, his heart racing with anticipation. He swallowed.

Mondo might have nodded. Kiyotaka couldn't tell. A moment, and he felt the other man prodding at his entrance. Another moment passed before he felt himself being split open. Mondo moved slowly, allowing Kiyotaka time to adjust to the long-forgotten feeling of having something lodged inside of him. By the time he was fully sheathed, Kiyotaka was filled to the brim and stretched as far as he could likely go. He'd never felt so full. It stung. It was incredible.

" _Fuck_ ," Mondo groaned. His grip on Kiyotaka's hips tightened. "I've never felt somebody so _tight_."

Kiyotaka tried to reply, but found himself to be incoherent. He whined instead, which Mondo interpreted (and correctly) as a plea to continue. He pulled himself, slowly and slightly, in and out. Kiyotaka's burn subsided as he became accustomed. Mondo tried rising higher on his knees in search of the right angle, and Kiyotaka arched himself further. The combined efforts proved fruitful when Kiyotaka moaned. Mondo thrust into that same spot again.

"Right here?" He asked, his voice now a growl. Kiyotaka huffed out the closest thing he could to a confirmation.

Mondo pulled himself nearly all the way out and thrust back in. Kiyotaka gasped sharply at the feeling of the rougher movement hitting him at just the right angle. Mondo chuckled, sounding proud of himself, before repeating the movement.

Each thrust was perfect and rewarded by another moan or gasp from Kiyotaka. He was hungry for more and begged for Mondo to move faster, to go deeper and harder. Mondo's breathing quickly became hoarse. The sound of his grunts spurred Kiyotaka on. He did everything he could to meet Mondo's movements, rolling his hips back, even as every buck of Mondo's hips sent him surging forward. Powerful hands gripped his hips hard enough to leave bruises. Every slam of his hips into Kiyotaka resulted in a loud _slap_ of skin against skin. Kiyotaka's legs trembled as he cried out in ecstasy. He was shouting something, but couldn't really hear himself. The car jerked back and forth ever so slightly, the seat beneath them creaking in protest.

"S-Stop!" Kiyotaka cried out, suddenly and without warning, for a reprieve. Mondo's hips came to an immediate halt, and an apologetic hand stroked his lower back. Kiyotaka shook his head. "N-No, you didn't hurt me, I'm fine, I-I just..."

Kiyotaka swallowed. It was hard to see, as his eyes were watering, but he pushed himself up with shaky arms anyway. Mondo, wide-eyed and clearly restraining himself, sat down and waited for him to finish his sentence. Kiyotaka pulled Mondo's pants down enough to shove them past his knees, and then he carefully straddled his lap, his folded legs splayed out on either side of Mondo's hips. He smiled and felt his cheeks heat up.

"I-I wanted to see you," he mumbled.

Mondo blinked, unresponsive, before his lip curled up at one corner. He squeezed Kiyotaka's thigh and gave him a lingering kiss.

Kiyotaka brought himself to his knees, aligned himself with Mondo's cock, and swiftly brought himself down. This angle, as it turned out, was even better, and he shuddered violently as he impaled himself. Mondo grinned as he watched his expression change.

"That was a good idea," he teased as Kiyotaka lifted and lowered himself again.

Mondo didn't leave Kiyotaka to do all of the work himself. His strong arms and big hands aided Kiyotaka's bouncing, and he bucked his hips up to meet his partner's as much as he could. They were back to where they'd been before the break in no time at all.

Kiyotaka couldn't keep his hands to himself. His nails left scratches on Mondo's back, and his fingers toyed with and twisted the piercings in his nipples. Mondo groaned at the new sensation, even as Kiyotaka was careful not to pull too hard. He played with and tugged Mondo's hair, which was now damp with sweat, and occasionally captured his lips again. These kisses were rough, often resulting in crushed noses and the scrape of teeth, but Kiyotaka moaned into Mondo's mouth anyway.

It wasn't long before he totally lost control of himself, any of his usual concerns with his image tossed carelessly into the wind. He bounced wildly up and down, each thrust loud and near-brutal, shrieking in pleasure and uttering some constant chant made up of moans of Mondo's name and pleas for more and affirmations of his love for him. He occasionally bounced too high and hit his head against the car's roof. Mondo, meanwhile, retained his usual sailor's mouth, swearing and growling possessively through his teeth. Kiyotaka wouldn't have expected or wanted anything different.

Soon, _too_ soon, it was too much for him to bear. He choked out a warning just before he came, coating Mondo's stomach in his seed and collapsing into him. He felt guilty about it, but for only a moment. His orgasm had caused him to involuntarily tighten his muscles, and that had sent Mondo over his own edge.

They both took a minute or two to recover. Kiyotaka's leg muscles hurt like hell, and Mondo's were probably worse. Maybe. He was in great shape, so perhaps it hadn't been so much effort for him. He risked opening his eyes. Mondo flinched. He had been pushing the sweaty hair off of his forehead and smiling fondly down at him, and it seemed like hadn't expected to be interrupted. Kiyotaka smiled back. He wasn't sure why he was laughing, but he did so anyway.

"...'M fuckin' exhausted," Mondo mumbled after a minute of quiet. Kiyotaka snickered into his shoulder before pulling back and climbing off of him, feeling sticky and sweaty now that the deed was done. Mondo reached once more for his paper towels and wiped Kiyotaka's release from his stomach. He tossed the roll to Kiyotaka.

"I-I, uh, got a bit carried away," Kiyotaka said nervously. "Sorry."

"Hell are you _apologizing_ for?!"

"I don't... really know?"

Both men laughed. Mondo took all of the discarded paper towels and his used condom and threw them into the same bag he'd used for the wrappers. He didn't seem like the type to have what was essentially a trashcan in his car, but he did have several dogs, and he was into cars. He was probably very serious about keeping the vehicle's interior clean.

"I gotta admit that ya surprised me," Mondo said as he re-buttoned his jeans. He couldn't seem to figure out what he had done with his shirt. "I mean, ya asked me already, so... when was the last time _you_ got laid?"

Kiyotaka blushed.

"Not since that secret college boyfriend. So... it's been several years. I can't say exactly how many."

Mondo whistled.

"That explains... most of it, I guess. Still. You're fuckin' loud. Wouldn't have thought you were so, uh. _Responsive_." He gave Kiyotaka's thigh a tight squeeze and smirked. "But as for not havin' enough sex, ya won't have _that_ problem again. Promise."

Mondo found his clothes and tossed Kiyotaka his own. Kiyotaka didn't bother to sort out the wrinkles. He'd just change and shower when he got home.

That thought gave him pause. He frowned. His apartment was full of reminders of his family and past and previous job. If he went home— especially if he did so alone— he might feel compelled to call his parents or his boss to apologize for his actions, wouldn't he? That, and he'd had a very eventful night. He didn't want to go back to his lonely apartment.

"U-Uh, Mondo?"

The man looked at him as he pulled his jacket back on.

"Yeah?"

"First of all, um... thank you."

Mondo grinned.

"No problem. Anytime."

"Somehow, I knew you'd say that," Kiyotaka sighed dramatically. "Anyway. I wanted to ask if I could, uh... If I could stay with you for a night. I-If it's not too much trouble, that is! I don't want to make any assumptions."

Mondo raised an eyebrow at him.

"You... really think ya need to ask like that? We literally just fucked in the back of my car, and ya think I'd be stingy about my apartment?"

"I— I object to that phrasing!"

"...You _literally_ told me to fuck you harder. Several times."

"O-Oh." Kiyotaka's slight blush darkened into a crimson that spread all the way to his ears, and he looked down. "Did I really...?"

"Yeah. Ya did. S'why I was surprised."

Kiyotaka grumbled into his hand as he tried to hide his face. He wasn't as shocked as he should have been, really, considering the sort of dreams he'd been having about Mondo, but _still_.

"But t'answer your question," Mondo continued, "of course ya can. Ya gotta meet the kids anyway, right?"

Kiyotaka smiled brightly, his embarrassment fading as quickly as it had come.

"That's right— I do!"

He hurriedly redressed himself, newly excited (even if it wasn't the same kind he'd been feeling before). He opened up the door and jumped out of the back seat and ran around to get in the passenger's side. Mondo had had the same thought at the same time. He beat Kiyotaka to the driver's seat by only a second or two.

Kiyotaka had expected them to pull out of the lot right away. Mondo pulled out his cell phone instead and dialed a number without even glancing at the keypad, like he'd dialed it a thousand times before. He put it to his ear and waited.

"Who are you calling?!" Kiyotaka demanded. He was impatient to see what kind of a place Mondo lived in. Mondo hushed him. He grinned as soon as he heard a response on the other line.

"Hey, big bro! I just wanted t’thank ya real quick for the little care package ya hid in my car—"

" _No!_ "

Kiyotaka tried to snatch the phone from Mondo's hands, but he easily avoided the attacks, and his shouting did nothing but alert Daiya of his presence and let him know _exactly_ what had happened. He was forced to endure a few humiliating minutes of teasing from both of the Oowada brothers before Mondo finally ended the call and started up the car.

At the very least, Daiya was more than supportive.


	28. Sweet Dreams

Mondo lived in a strangely normal-looking house. Kiyotaka wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but he found himself surprised to look at it.

"You own the place?" Kiyotaka wondered aloud. Mondo grunted a confirmation.

"It's not like I got it myself. Daiya n' I got the place together. N' _trust me_ , it was cheap for a reason."

"Did you have to do a lot of repairs?"

"You wouldn't fuckin' believe it if ya saw it. Place was a disaster."

Kiyotaka nodded along as they got out of the car and Mondo pointed at things he and Daiya had apparently had to fix. They'd gone as far as replacing the front door and most of the siding and giving it a fresh coat of paint, and they had done most of the labor themselves to save money. It would make a nice return on investment, Kiyotaka thought, if Mondo ever decided that he needed more room.

It was kind of ironic, really. Mondo was a homeowner and Kiyotaka wasn't. His apartment's rent was probably more than Mondo's mortgage, but still.

Kiyotaka heard barking and whining and scratching before Mondo could successfully unlock the front door. He greeted the eagerly waiting animals as he stepped inside. Kiyotaka squeezed in after him and remained still, his back pressed against the door. One of the dogs— the only big one— gave him a quick sniff before joining his siblings in tackling Mondo. The man had sat down on the floor and was practically getting attacked with kisses.

"I know, I know," he laughed. Every time he tried to focus on or pet one of them, another would jump onto his lap or push the other out of the way or nuzzle into his chest. "I missed you guys too. ...Take it easy there, Phoebe."

Kiyotaka shook his head and chuckled. Mondo had only been gone for a couple of hours at most, but looking at the little reunion, one would think he'd been away at war for years. Mondo was, at the moment, focusing on the blonde chihuahua, who was snorting in an unusual way and sounded like she could barely breathe.

"Is she okay?

"Oh, she'll be fine, it's just— y'know, the crooked snout. If she gets too excited she has trouble breathin'. Just gotta make sure she settles down."

Phoebe did, eventually, manage to calm down, as did the others. Mondo gestured up at Kiyotaka.

"This is Taka," he loudly announced. "We like Taka, understand?"

Kiyotaka knelt down and stuck his hand out. Chuck was the first to risk giving the hand a sniff and seemed to deem him safe, settling in for a scratch behind his ears. He was just as soft as he looked. The others followed suit and walked over as if introducing themselves.

"They like anybody that pets 'em," Mondo explained. "Bunch of attention hogs, I tell ya."

Mondo led Kiyotaka past the little entrance hallway and into the kitchen, which opened out onto the living room. He said that there had been a wall there before that he and his brother had removed. The place had probably seemed much smaller then. Kiyotaka tried not to giggle at the way that the dogs were constantly on Mondo's heels, like a fuzzy little entourage.

"Why dontcha sit down, n' I'll make us dinner?" Mondo offered. Kiyotaka tried to dismiss it with a casual wave of his arm. Mondo apparently had no intention of taking no for an answer, as he was already at his cabinets.

"I-It's a bit late for dinner, isn't it?"

"Maybe, but you've gotta be hungry. Y'said ya didn't really eat any of the food at your parents' place." He paused, in the middle of gathering his pans, to smirk over his shoulder at Kiyotaka. "N' as for _me_ , I worked up an appetite."

Kiyotaka scoffed, but couldn't deny that that was probably true. He pretended to focus his attention on Tyson, who seemed curious about him. Mondo was getting out ingredients and turning up the heat on the stove like it was second nature.

"You didn't strike me as someone who could cook."

"What's that supposedta mean?"

"I-I don't know, you just... don't? I hardly ever have time to really make anything. I'm always using my rice cooker, and that's about it."

"Makin' your own food is cheaper, for one thing," Mondo retorted, "n' it's better for ya. I'm always at the gym, ain't I? Ya gotta fill up before that if ya wanna build any muscle. But it can't be junk food. I need a fuckton of protein." Mondo looked down at his feet, where Phoebe sat casually, giving him big, innocent puppy-dog eyes, and shooed her away. "...Sometimes I feel like I spend more on _their_ food. I mean, there's four of 'em, and I get 'em the expensive all-natural shit."

Mondo seemed to be making some kind of beef and vegetable stir fry with a bit of soy sauce. Kiyotaka could smell it cooking. He was, admittedly, very hungry. He was surprised that his stomach hadn't growled. He'd totally forgotten about food in the night's events.

"...You sure you don't need to go back to your place?" Mondo asked after a few minutes of near-silence. Kiyotaka jerked in place. He'd nearly fallen asleep sitting up. He shook his head before it occurred to him that Mondo wasn't looking in his direction.

"No, it's alright. My apartment is more of a nest for my bed than anything else. ...As long as you've got a spare toothbrush and something I can sleep in, I'm fine."

"Okay. If ya say so. Just make sure ya turn your cell phone off."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm ahead of you on that one."

"That's good."

Mondo went back to quietly cooking. Kiyotaka was expecting it to feel awkward, but it didn't. It felt natural. He could get used to this. _Should I make breakfast tomorrow morning?_ he wondered. He didn't want to impose and felt that he should return the favor somehow. He'd have to wake up earlier than Mondo if he wanted to do that, though. He smiled at the thought of surprising the other man with breakfast in bed.

The food was finished before long. Kiyotaka wiggled in anticipation of it. Mondo scooped the contents of the pan onto two separate plates of equal size and slid one to Kiyotaka across the table. It looked both delicious _and_ nutritious, which was a difficult balance to maintain.

Kiyotaka scarfed down half of his food before saying anything. He was distracted from it by Mondo's laughter.

"I was gonna ask ya if ya thought the food was okay, but I'll take that as a yes. Guess that's a good sign if this is gonna be a thing."

Kiyotaka nearly choked on the forkful of greens that he'd been halfway through swallowing. Mondo raised a very good point. One that he'd nearly forgotten about. He set the utensil down with a slight clatter, and Mondo raised an eyebrow.

"That reminds me... I've been meaning to ask you." He cleared his throat and averted his eyes, looking to Peanut as if she could offer some kind of assistance. She wasn't doing anything. Just trembling and staring from the corner of the room. "Are you, er, my boyfriend?"

Mondo didn't reply right away. He looked like he was trying not to smirk.

"...Are ya actually askin' me that?"

"Yes."

"Well, d'ya want me to be?"

Kiyotaka nodded, fiddling with his fingers. Mondo snickered.

"...Then, yeah, I'm your boyfriend, ya dumbass. Fuckin' hell."

"I just didn't want to assume—"

Without any warning, Mondo grabbed Kiyotaka's hand, reaching around the plates of food to do so, and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"I already told ya, remember?"

"Told me what?!"

"That I love you."

Kiyotaka reddened.

"I-I—" He swallowed. Saying it once, when the moment had been right and he'd been able to hide his face at least a little bit under the cover of darkness, was one thing, but saying it again— saying it now, in the privacy of Mondo's home— was another thing altogether. It would solidify things. He couldn't retract it.

He didn't want to retract it, though. He managed a shy smile.

"Yeah?"

"I, um, love you too."

"Okay then. That settles it. We're boyfriends." He squeezed his hand again and then released it. "I'll be cookin' for ya plenty from here on out."

"I guess we do have plenty of time for dates now that I'm out of a job..." Saying that felt strange. Kiyotaka hadn't been unemployed since he was in his first year of high school.

"So how're we gonna arrange our first date? Where are ya gonna crash your car—"

"Shut up!"

Mondo laughed uproariously, and Kiyotaka joined in after a fleeting moment of embarrassment. Now that Kiyotaka had thrown aside the silly things keeping them apart, they wouldn't have to meet under such absurd circumstances anymore. They could just call one another. Once Kiyotaka got his car back, anyway. Mondo had promised to drive him to pick it up in the morning.

Kiyotaka contemplated things as he finished his food, and Mondo didn't try and force a conversation. He had a boyfriend...? He had a _boyfriend_. He had an incredible boyfriend that he really, _really_ loved and with whom he wanted to spend every day of the rest of his life.

The rest of his life— that was now a question mark. A blank slate. He was starting over from square one and choosing for himself what to do with it. It was as daunting a task as it was exciting.

"I'm not sure what to do next," he mumbled, letting his fork fall uselessly onto his empty dinner plate. "I don't want to rush things, but I don't want to get too settled into the unemployment lifestyle, either."

"I think you can afford to take your time," Mondo replied with a shrug. "I'd focus on gettin' your head on right before doin' anything drastic. Get yourself a shrink, n' take some time off to get some rest for once."

"What... What's that like? Therapy, I mean."

Mondo shrugged.

"Depends on the type. N' it's probably different for everybody. No two people have the exact same issues. But, uh..." He looked up as he tried to recall something that had probably happened years ago. "The early stuff tends to be pretty casual. Ya just explain why you're there and talk about what you'll need. Once I finished explainin', the doc was sure I needed t'learn healthy coping mechanisms. _Connecting with your inner child_ and all that jazz."

"My inner child...?" Kiyotaka furrowed his brow. "That's one of those expressions I've heard a lot, and I still don't have any idea what it means."

Mondo laughed. He understood what Kiyotaka meant, apparently. The expression was rather vague.

"Hey, I didn't get it at first, either. But to put it simply, n' use myself as an example, I, uh... I set aside at least one night every month where I don't have any other plans. I make myself a milkshake, or maybe some cookies— somethin' I don't get to eat all that much. N' then I sit on the floor in my sweatpants n' with my dogs and I play with Legos for as long as I want."

Kiyotaka stared in disbelief. Mondo wasn't kidding.

"...Legos?!"

"Hell yeah. My parents never got us toys. I was always jealous of all the sets the neighbor's kids had. Now that I'm a grown-up n' I got my own money, I can buy as many damn Lego kits as I want. ...There's so much stuff to build. It's lotsa fun. I got a few of 'em displayed."

He flashed a proud, cheeky little smile and pounded his chest. Kiyotaka nodded along. It made sense when he thought more about it. _Taking care of one's inner child_ just meant, well... taking it easy on oneself. It was taking the time to step back, relax, and let the wounded part of one's soul safely heal.

"...Which ones?"

"Wha?" It took Mondo a long second to realize that Kiyotaka was asking about the Lego kits. He blushed, very slightly. "...Oh, uh, some space ships. _Star Wars_. They look like real models. N' then there's the motorcyle I figured out how to make by myself."

"No instructions?"

"No instructions."

They shared another laugh, and then Kiyotaka studied the wood grain on the table as he thought. How long had it been since he'd had a proper hobby? He'd taken some time to read that book that Chihiro had given him, but he hadn't found the time to finish it.

"I guess I _should_ find something to do in my down time. I used to do martial arts. Maybe I should pick that up again? I—"

"Oh, yeah, that reminds me. I gotcha somethin'. It's no big deal, though."

Mondo stood and walked to his living room, all four of the dogs following him, and retrieved something wrapped in tissue paper from a drawer in his coffee table. He passed it to Kiyotaka across the kitchen table as he sat back down. The gesture was a little bit too casual.

"What is it?" Kiyotaka squinted at the package. It was something rectangular, not especially large or especially small. Mondo snickered.

"Jus' open it."

Kiyotaka shrugged and tore at the paper. Mondo intentionally avoided looking him in the eye.

"This... is..."

Kiyotaka stared at the package. He honestly didn't know what to say.

He'd mentioned, what felt like ages ago and only in passing as part of a much longer tirade, that his parents had sold his prized calligraphy set and that he'd never had the time to buy another and resume his childhood hobby. He would never have guessed that Mondo would remember something so trivial. And he _certainly_ never would have guessed that Mondo would buy him another. He knew for a fact that calligraphy sets were expensive. It wasn't like buying someone a greeting card.

"I dunno know anything about calligraphy, though, so I dunno if it's any good. I just asked the guy for a recommendation n' he pointed me t'that one—"

"Mondo, it's _perfect_." He clutched the package close to his chest. "I love it. It's— you're— I can't believe you remembered!"

He stood and ran to Mondo’s side. Once more, he was reminded of how ridiculous he had been acting. Why had he tried to prevent this for so long? He leaned down to give Mondo a grateful kiss, one hand on either side of his face.

" _That's_ where that went," Mondo said under his breath as soon as his lips were his own. Kiyotaka raised a questioning eyebrow. Mondo gestured at Kiyotaka's left wrist. "The— the hairband. I thought I lost it."

Kiyotaka had completely forgotten about it, but there was, in fact, a hairband around his wrist. He laughed awkwardly and returned it to Mondo, who casually thrust it into his pocket.

"Sorry."

"Nah, it's fine. I gotta take a shower anyway. ...Hell, we both do. Why don't you look around while I take one real quick, n' then you can take yours while I get your stuff for ya? I should probably straighten out the sheets on the bed, too. Maybe I'll change 'em."

Kiyotaka blinked.

"The... The bed? I thought I was taking the sofa."

Mondo scoffed as if Kiyotaka had proposed something ridiculous.

"I dunno about you, but I'm not the type of guy to make _my boyfriend_ sleep on the couch when there's plenty'a room in my bed."

"I-I don't want to impose, though. Your bedroom is private, isn't it?"

Kiyotaka's bedroom, back in his apartment, was practically an empty room with a bed in it, but he still felt like it was his space and wouldn't want random people sleeping in it. He wasn't quite _random people_ , of course. He and Mondo had just clarified that they were dating. Even so, he was surprised by Mondo's offer.

Mondo playfully jostled his shoulder.

" _Listen_ , Taka: it's fine. I've got a queen-sized bed. It's gotta be big enough to fit _certain people_ if there's a thunderstorm."

Mondo glared past Kiyotaka at the dogs by the wall. Kiyotaka laughed at the mental image of Mondo and all four of his fluffy companions snuggled together in the same bed.

"Alright, then," he agreed. "Your bed it is."

They exchanged a parting kiss before Mondo left to take his shower. Kiyotaka walked about the house, being careful not to be too invasive. The dogs followed him, apparently designating him their new leader for the time being. The other three seemed to trail behind Chuck. Chuck clearly thought he was in charge.

Eventually, Kiyotaka found the Lego kits that Mondo had mentioned. They were, admittedly, impressive. He wouldn't have guessed that Mondo had made the motorcyle himself. It looked like something he'd gotten in a box. The whole of the house was laid out in a surprisingly neat fashion, everything in its intended place.

"It's not usually _this_ clean," Mondo said as he approached. "Ya just came at a good time, I guess."

Kiyotaka, who had been sitting on the couch and petting the dogs, smiled up at Mondo. He'd already gotten dressed and was toweling off his hair. Seeing him in baggy flannel pants and a ribbed black tank top made it that much more clear that he was, really and truly, spending the night.

"It's a nice place," Kiyotaka chirped. "You and your brother did a good job."

"You guys been hangin' out?" Mondo looked curiously at the pack of animals. Kiyotaka pointed at Phoebe.

"She tried to steal my nose."

"Oh, yeah?" Mondo laughed. "She does that. She won't actually bite ya, though. Just a little play nibble. 'M glad they seem to like ya."

Kiyotaka gave each dog a final pat before he stood. Mondo gestured at a partially-open door.

"That's your room?"

"Yeah. My bathroom's attached. I laid out all the stuff you'll need. Before we do that, though... Lemme put these guys to bed."

Mondo clapped his hands, and the dogs stood at attention. He announced that it was time for bed, and they filed obediently to the large closet that he'd mentioned. Kiyotaka couldn't help but smile as he watched the routine. Mondo had the animals very well-trained. Tyson checked on each of the others before getting into his own bed, and Peanut spent about a minute in hers before she crawled into Phoebe's. Mondo made sure that each one was lying down, checked to see that their bowl was full of water, and then flipped off the light switch and closed the little doggie gate. He gestured at the bedroom door as soon as he was finished.

"After you."

Mondo's room was a bit messier than the rest of the house, and that much was to be expected. There were a couple of jackets thrown across the back of a chair, and the sheets weren't quite on right. There was a little desk with a framed picture of Mondo and Daiya sporting ridiculous hairstyles on the back of a couple of decked-out motorcycles. It must have been taken during their gang days.

The bathroom was clean, and there was a surprising amount of product in there. Mondo apparently liked to take long baths. His soap smelled like pine, and his shampoo bottle looked expensive. Taking a shower was more fulfilling than he could have anticipated. It felt like he was washing the day's stress away.

Kiyotaka dried off before he dressed himself in the clothes that Mondo had so generously provided. The shirt was far too big for him. He gave the collar a quick sniff. It was clean and didn't have that _boyfriend's jacket_ smell he'd been hoping for, like the one that he still had in his apartment and had forgotten about until that very moment. Maybe he'd invite Mondo to his apartment the next day and allow him to retrieve it.

"Hey, handsome."

Mondo greeted Kiyotaka, as he returned to the bedroom, with a wide grin and patted the mattress. He had changed the sheets and made sure to fasten them properly. It was clear which side of the bed was Mondo's, so Kiyotaka climbed onto the other side.

"Hi."

He risked laying his head onto the pillow and pulling the covers over himself. Mondo set the alarm on the nightstand for eight. It would be nice to wake at eight rather than four. He could use the extra sleep right now. Mondo looked down at Kiyotaka and glanced at the lamp.

"Y'ready?"

"Yes."

He flipped the switch, and the room was plunged into darkness. Mondo scooted down and laid on his side, facing Kiyotaka. Kiyotaka could feel his breathing.

"...This is nice."

"Yes!"

Kiyotaka couldn't help but smile a little. It _was_ nice. It was nice to lie beside someone and feel so comfortable. He didn't feel the need to say anything or do anything. He just felt safe and warm. Mondo's side was starting to feel like home.

He could already feel himself drifting off to sleep, so he didn't try to formulate those thoughts. He simply felt around under the covers until he found Mondo's hand and entangled their fingers together.

"Thank you," he murmured. Mondo smiled.

"Don't mention it." The last thing he felt, before drifting off, was Mondo planting a gentle kiss on his forehead. "G'night."

The future was empty and a bit frightening, but somehow, Kiyotaka thought that he would be just fine.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The real Phoebe does, in fact, steal noses, including Peanut's. She usually does it as a sort of game if you try to give her several kisses in a row, but she'll sometimes do it without warning. She'll just straight-up nibble your nose. She does it to Peanut when they're fighting for attention.


End file.
